Connected
by Luna Sol Leil
Summary: Takes place after Awakened. Two beings. One turned to Light, will the other one follow? Join Zoey and Stevie Rae as they discover the connections to two powerful beings. Will they find love? Will they keep it? Zoey/Kalona & Rephaim/Stevie Rae R
1. Chapter 1

**A/N Hey everyone. I just read Awakened and it was amazing. So here is Connected This first chapter is adapted from the last chapter of Awakened. I do not own anything written by the Casts. So this is a spoiler alert. IF YOU DON'T WANT TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS IN AWAKENED, READ THE BOOK BEFORE YOU READ THIS STORY. Oh and this is an alternate to Consumed, which I hope you will also read. Read, relax, and review. Happy Reading!**

_Two powerful connections. Two beings connected to two heroic High Priestesses. One has turned to Light. Will the other be able to do the same? Will love conquer all? Will Light Triumph over Darkness. Only Nyx knows._

**Kalona**

Kalona reveled in his newfound connection with Stark. The thought of having access to the mind of Zoey's Oathbound Warrior was almost too incredible for words. He remembered the night he had discovered this strange and new connection. He had been trying to get to Zoey's dreams, to try and persuade her to return to the House of Night. But instead, he received unimaginable pleasure. Sure, he had experienced it indirectly, but it was had been one of the most wonderful sensations he had ever experienced in his entire life: and an experience that was only matched by the pleasure he had experienced with his beautiful Cherokee woman A-ya. After that pleasure, it didn't seem as important to get Zoey back to the House of Night. He hadn't dared to reach try and reach Zoey in her dreams. He decided to soak in the incredible pleasure, just as he soaked in the heat of the golden sun when he flew in a cloudless sky. The decision was made. He would allow Neferet to draw back Zoey Redbird in her own way.

Of course, at the time, it had been necessary for her to return. He needed a distraction. After all, he had been under Neferet's dominion, and he needed a distraction for Neferet while he continued to find a way to break her bonds with him. Of course, thanks to his noble son, Rephaim, he had discovered that Neferet never actually had dominion over his immortal spirit. Seeing as he had given it away. Rephaim had been wise enough to figure out the loophole to his supposed entrapment. Thanks to the Goddess he had been forced to give up a sliver of his immortal spirit to save the god-be-damned Stark.

Kalona's blood boiled at the thought. His immortal power was not something he would give up willingly. He loved his immortal power, but despite that love for power, he had submitted to the goddess, just has he always had, save for one single time, one single act. He had give up a sliver of his immortality to the weak fool that Zoey Redbird loved. Of course, in a way, this new discovery made it all worth it. He now had access to Zoey Redbird's lover, and he would use this connection to his advantage. Yes, he would have something that gave him access to Zoey Redbird in her most vulnerable moments. Oh yes, he relished the gift of this strange new connection, and he would use it against her. He would get revenge.

He scowled at the thought of Zoey Redbird. Had her soul just been shattered as it should have been he wouldn't have had to give away a piece of his soul. Nyx would never have shown up. That foolish Zoey Redbird had done this to him. She should have just accepted him as he had asked. He remembered his veiled courtship of the fledgling. It all had come to nothing. Kalona's immortal blood simmered within his veins. Zoey Redbird had disgraced and rejected him too many times. After all, he had tried everything to get her on his side. But she never fell for it because of her love for Nyx: the Goddess that had spurned him centuries ago. Kalona's wings rustled opened up slightly. He longed to leave this wretched place behind. But no, it was far too late for that. He was tied down by Zoey Redbird and the revenge that he wanted to earn. Although. . .

Ultimately, he supposed that he should thank her. If it had not been for her interference, than he wouldn't have been forced to give up part of his spirit. If that had happened, he would forever be under Neferet's control. Oh yes, he would never be controlled by anyone, much less the Tsi Sigli creature. He was an all-powerful immortal. No one could order him around like a common servant. Neferet had been doing so for too long, and he had grown tired of it quickly. Besides, he had only ever been truly faithful to one single woman, but he had even grown tired of that after centuries waiting for a gift that would never be given to him.

He forced any thoughts of the Goddess out of his mind and they were brought back to Neferet, and her irritating and impossible ways. Oh yes, she had deigned to think that she could enslave him, but thanks to Rephaim, he had realized that he was not in Neferet's control. His blood began to boil again. Rephaim, his beloved and favored son, the one that had been faithful to him for eons had betrayed him for love. Sure, Rephaim hadn't openly betrayed him. No, the foolish Red One, a friend of Zoey's and a new kind of High Priestess had spoken for him.

Kalona growled. Love was for fools.

Kalona remembered the impudent child's foolish words.

"You used to know about honor and loyalty and maybe even love. "

Yes, it was true. Kalona used to know about those silly and foolish things. Honor, he used to have a sense of honor. He used to be able to do the right thing. But what good was doing the right thing when all it brought you was pain? Loyalty: he used to be loyal to Nyx. He would have done anything to please her. But what did it matter? She never returned the favor. Love: he used to know about love. He had loved Nyx, the stunningly beautiful and powerful goddess, and later he had love A-ya, the amazingly gorgeous Cherokee woman. But what good was it if all women did was banish and trap him? His mind drifted back to Zoey Redbird, would she liberate or entomb him? Probably the latter, because she was too infatuated with Nyx. He focused. No, all of those things had been lost due to his banishment and fall from Nyx's sacred realm. These concepts were foolish and weak. At a time they had made him foolish and weak. After his fall, he had sworn to himself that he would never, ever grow weak again. He had kept that Oath by seeking the incredible powers of Darkness. Only two had been able to weaken him, and even then the weakness was slight.

Despite the fact that both Neferet and Zoey had weakened him, Kalona would never truly be weak. He was an ancient and powerful immortal. He had long been allied with the infinitely powerful Darkness, the brilliantly white bull. Kalona remembered the beast, and wished he didn't. That beast had stopped serving his needs at the moment. The bull had turned all of his attentions on the mad Tsi Sigli woman. No, Kalona did not like sharing his power. He hated to admit it to himself, but honestly, Neferet was starting to become so powerful that if she continued down this path, one day she would be more powerful than he. The very idea was unthinkable, and it made him terribly angry.

The anger brought him back to Rephaim and his betrayal: a betrayal that had been caused by the Red High Priestess.

More of Stevie Rae's words came to him. "You have to free him, Kalona. You have to let him make his own choice between staying with you or changing his path."

Kalona's blood boiled at the thought. A mere mortal had no business telling him what he had to do. He had much more power than a foolish Red High Priestess. But then Kalona had seen the way his son looked at the Red One. He loved her indeed, which was something Kalona really couldn't understand anymore. After all, his son was not a human. He was not a man. He could never love and be with Stevie Rae in the way that he wanted to. They would always be separated by the fact that his son was a monster. Stevie Rae was a vampyre. They could not have a real relationship. Besides, why would she want to be with his son? He hated love. It caused too many problems. He had lost the capacity for such foolish emotions.

However, he remembered Stevie Rae's final words, the words that had somehow made him decide to grant Rephaim the choice, and they floated back into his mind. "I'm gonna go out on a limb here and believe with everything inside of me that somewhere deep inside _you _is still a tiny sliver of Nyx's Warrior, and _that _Kalona, the one who protected the Goddess, would do the right thing. Please be that Kalona again, if only for a second."

Kalona scowled again and clenched his fists. He had allowed himself to be convinced to do the right thing by a foolish young High Priestess and a son that believed in a fool's dream: love. Just the thought made him want to cry out with incredible rage. Yet, against all odds, the words of a foolish young girl had sparked something deep within the darkest chambers of his heart. Perhaps there was a sliver of the being he used to be. He highly doubted it, but maybe there was. Maybe that's why he had given his favored son the choice: the choice to betray him.

He snarled softly. His son had taken the opportunity without hesitation. Rephaim was in love with Stevie Rae. He was in love with Zoey Redbird's closest ally. Kalona had denounced Rephaim as his son. Then, free of any further bonds, he had fled to the darkest part of Oklahoma that he could find. For some reason, he had decided to stay in this place. But it was not for Neferet. No. He hated the insane Tsi Sigli woman.

He was so incredibly grateful that he was no longer connected with the woman. Of course, she was now Immortal, and she had a powerful connection with Darkness that he had not sensed for centuries. But what did that matter? She was done ordering him about. He never had to submit to her again. He also would never agree to submit to anyone else, especially another woman. Still, there was something that was tying him down to Tulsa. He thought it was revenge, but upon further reflection maybe it was something else, something infinitely more meaningful. Perhaps it was . . . no, that was impossible. It couldn't be that.

Thinking of women, however, his thoughts were drawn back to the fateful night in which he bedded Neferet for the last time, the wonderful night that he had discovered an odd connection with the god-be-damned Red Vampyre Stark. Oh yes, he had meant to reach Zoey. But instead, he had reached her lover instead. Reaching her lover had not only granted him incredible joy, but it had also given him real pleasure, the kind of pleasure that Neferet could not give him: the kind of pleasure that only A-ya could give to him. He had been deprived of that wonderful pleasure for centuries.

He remembered that fateful night with stunningly clear detail.

It had begun with thoughts of Zoey.

Her gorgeous and endless onyx eyes, that reminded him so much of Nyx.

The lush mouth that he wanted to caress and kiss.

The stunningly gorgeous Cherokee features that reminded him so much of the ancient Cherokee maid who had been created to love and entrap him.

He ordered his spirit to find Zoey Redbird, to use the connection that tied their spirits together as one. The connection he used to believe would ultimately bring Zoey Redbird to his side, but had failed to do so. He had entered the fortress of Skye, and he had succeeded in finding Zoey's room.

Zoey's flawless ruby lips had smiled up at him. He stared down at her, licking his lips slightly from desire. He didn't move or breathe. But then his senses returned to him. He felt her warm body pressing up against his own, her incredible warmth smothered his own icy heat.. He felt his arms snake around her lovely and exquisite naked body, caressing every single inch as they did.

She caressed his face, lightly tracing his lips with a single, graceful finger. He felt his hips lift automatically towards hers and she moaned slightly with pleasure. The pleasure had exploded over him, as well.

"I love you too Stark," she said softly. Her eyes fluttered gently as she leaned in and kissed him deeply. The pleasure was so intense and unexpected. The new connection severed, and Kalona's spirit returned to his immortal body.

Kalona remembered his dark and wild laughter. The sliver of immortality that Kalona had given to Stark had forged a strange new connection. Now he not only had a connection with Zoey, but he also had one with Stark. The discovery had proved to be endlessly hilarious. It had brought him a surge of incredible joy that could not be explained.

Kalona also remembered how the Tsi Sigli woman had come for him, outraged that he was not already in her bed. He remembered the naked and beautiful body: but it was not Neferet's that he was thinking of. However, the Tsi Sigli's harsh voice had dragged him back to reality. "Why are you not awaiting me in my bed?"

Kalona remembered laughing and following Neferet back into the suite. He had long ago stopped getting pleasure from being with Neferet. No, she had gotten the idea that it was her job to dominate instead of his. He had grown weary of the Tsi Sigli woman, and he was no longer benefitting from bedding her. In fact, he never remembered a time that he had truly benefited from sharing a bed with her.

But, he did remember closing his eyes and visualizing a woman who would actually give him pleasure. Neferet's shrieks of pleasure gave him great joy. The auburn hair was replaced with a veil of ebony. The emerald eyes turned to onyx. Kalona had pleasured Neferet over and over again, all the while thinking of Zoey Redbird.

Kalona smiled again. He had no real feelings for Zoey Redbird, except for the remnants of the ancient bond of their spirits. However, the thought of pretending to pleasure Zoey Redbird had given him great joy that he couldn't possibly put into words. But now he had a new idea. He would use his connection to Stark. Oh yes, he would use it to invade on moments of intimacy. He would get pleasure from this breach of privacy. Oh yes. It would be wonderful. Kalona thought of his strange connection and urged his spirit to find Stark once more. He had a feeling that at this late hour of the night, Zoey and her lover would be doing intimate and remarkable things. For some odd reason, Kalona wanted to live vicariously through Stark. He wanted to be the one to make Zoey Redbird cry out in pleasure, just as he had been able to do with Neferet time and time again.

Kalona looked up at the dark sky and smiled as his spirit left his body once again. He followed the connection to the tunnels in the Tulsa underground. So, this was Zoey's romantic retreat. Oh he could have done so much better, yes. But that didn't matter. He was living vicariously, and this would have to do for now.

He saw Zoey lying next to him. Moments later all of his other senses returned. He heard Stark say, "well I better keep your mouth busy so you can't do that."

Do what? Kalona wondered. But it didn't matter. Kalona's vessel began kissing the exquisite young High Priestess. Oh yes, Kalona would enjoy this, for moments, Stark's pleasure would be his. The kiss exploded in a wonderful sensation of pleasure. Kalona smiled at his pleasure, and smiled at Zoey's pleasure. It was the dark and feral smile of the beast within. Kalona felt her pleasure and his. Kalona used their connection to further control Stark's actions. Stark was his puppet, and he enjoyed the domination immensely.

His hand slid up Zoey's extra large superman shirt. It caressed her smooth, supple, and naked skin. His other hand held Zoey's wrists above her head. An intense amount of inexplicable passion rushed through Kalona. His hand skirted the edge of her panties. The kiss deepened, as if Kalona hungered for an ancient kiss from his past. He believed he could get it from Zoey. The incarnate of his beloved Cherokee woman A-ya.

The kiss lasted a long time, and burning desire shot through his body. His mouth moved to Zoey's neck, and he maintained his solid grip on her wrists. He bit down hard, and heard her cry out in pleasure. But the scream of pleasure morphed into one of incredible pain. This only further inspired the beast within, and Kalona began to force Stark to harden his actions.

"Stark, let go," he heard her cry, but Kalona would not be ordered to stop. Not by a woman. Not by Zoey Redbird. Not only that, but his lust was positively insatiable. He moaned and pressed Stark's body against Zoey's. Kalona ignored her painful cry and held his mouth against her luscious skin. He bit down once more and this time tasted blood. Kalona had never really had much of a blood lust, no. He was not a vampyre. But Zoey's blood shot though him like an intoxicating drug. He wanted, no needed, more of it. Kalona moaned in pleasure.

"You're hurting me," Zoey cried, so loudly that the connection shattered.

Kalona's spirit returned to his body. Kalona threw his hands up to the ebony sky and laughed with joy. Never had he experienced such a pleasure. It had nearly matched the pleasure of being with A-ya. Not completely, because he had acted vicariously, but Kalona decided from that moment on that one day he would pleasure Zoey Redbird for real. He would taste her wonderfully alluring blood. It didn't matter if he loved her, which he most definitely didn't. Love was a fools dream, and he would not allow it to interfere with what he wanted, no needed, to make his.

It suddenly didn't matter that Zoey Redbird had constantly rejected him. In fact, that only fueled his desire to make her his own for all eternity.

Kalona relished the incredible power he had felt in vicariously making love to Zoey. He loved the domination he felt, and he would continue to feel it. He would get what he wanted. He would use the connection that he had with Stark. Oh yes. He would bide his time until he figured out how he could lure Zoey to his side, once and for all.

If it were the last thing he did, he would make love to Zoey Redbird for real. And he would love every single moment of it. Kalona threw back his head and laughed with endless mirth.

**Zoey**

"What the hell were you doing, Stark?"

Stark's gorgeous eyes were filled with an intense worry. "I'm sorry, I didn't realize that I was hurting you. I thought you would like it. I'm sorry, Zoey, babe, please forgive me."

I smiled, and I was totally weirded out by Stark's strange behavior. "Seriously, Stark, you bit me really hard. You hurt me, and you wouldn't let go of me when I told you to. Why is that?"

"I don't know, Z. I love you so much, and I would never really hurt you, I would never let anything hurt you. I love you so much Zoey. Please stop looking at me like that."

"You love me that much, huh? Then why were you hurting me? What the hell?"

"I'm sorry, Z," Stark moaned, "It's just that I love you so much and you turn me on so much."

I raised my eyebrow at him. "So you love me so much that you couldn't even control yourself. That's wrong, Stark. What the hell?"

"Zoey, stop talking like that. I am your Warrior and your Guardian. It is my job to always protect you from anything that will hurt you. I will never, ever hurt you. I love you too much. You have to believe that Zo," he said urgently.

I suddenly pressed my fingers to his lips. "Shhhh," I said softly. I really couldn't stay mad at him. I was totally in love with him. "It's okay. Of course you would never hurt me. It's been a long day, and you are really tired. Let's just get some sleep and agree that there will be no biting when we make love."

Stark smiled and kissed me deeply. Against my lips he whispered, "I can deal with that. I love you, Zoey. Goodnight."

I smiled and kissed him back. "I love you too, and you are the best Guardian ever."

Stark smiled. "That's because you are the best High Priestess ever. Listen, Z, I'm sorry I was so rough. I guess I am tired. It's probably because of the sleep issues."

"I know. I have been sleeping with you," I said.

Stark smiled slowly. "You aren't going to tell me to go to therapy with Dragon are you?"

"No," I said, "Dragon is totally different. I hope he doesn't turn away from Nyx. He was so angry with Rephaim, even though Nyx told him to forgive him."

"None of the teachers came with us. You know that Lenobia is behind us, but someone has to stay and protect everyone from Neferet. Anyway, if someone threatened or killed you, I would definitely be really pissed off."

"I guess it would be like me forgiving Kalona for killing Heath," I said absentmindedly.

"Do you think you could ever forgive him?"

"I really don't know, Stark. I mean, I never really told you this but in the Otherworld when you were, you know, dead, and Nyx showed up, Kalona got really really emotional. He asked for Nyx's forgiveness."

"She didn't give it to him, did she," asked Stark.

"No, she pretty much said the same thing to Kalona that she said to Neferet. It doesn't look good for him, but at least it seemed that he genuinely had some kind of guilt over everything. So maybe one day he will earn her forgiveness. But I seriously doubt that."

"He did set Rephaim free tonight, though, I think that means he is a tiny bit better than Neferet."

I laughed and raised my eyebrows at him again. "Are you serious?"

"Hey, I said only a little tiny bit better," said Stark.

"You know, I've been thinking about that. I don't really know Kalona that much, but for the short time we have known him, he has proved to be a total and selfish jerk. So I have a feeling that Kalona released Rephaim because there was something in it for him. So I think we will have to keep an eye on Rephaim."

"Are you gonna tell that to Stevie Rae," Stark asked.

"Well of course," I said, "but Stevie Rae is in love with him, and she just got him back. So I am going to wait for a little bit."

"Yes, she does love him, and sometimes people can be a bit stupid about who they love. Sometimes they don't see things quite clearly."

"Are you saying that from experience?" I asked, teasing him a little by nudging him a little.

"No, no, no, of course not. I just observe things closely. Anyway, I think we should get to sleep, lie down in my arms wumman," he said, sounding eerily like Seoras.

"You need to stop speaking like Seoras. If you grow a beard like his, I might fire you from you Guardian job."

"No way," said Stark. "I'm sort of signed on for life."

"Fine," I said smiling slightly, "then I will just have to stop kissing you."

"No way," he said. He kissed me deeply. When we broke apart, he said, "I won't grow a beard, lassie. I love you."

"I love you too, Stark. How about you get some sleep. Tonight I will be your Guardian."

Stark squeezed my hand. "Sounds good to me, my love." He kissed me and then his head hit the pillow. There was a smile on his super hot face. I was so lucky to be with such an amazing guy.

"I love you, James Stark," I whispered in his ear.

"I love you too, Zoey Redbird," mumbled Stark in his sleep.

For an hour I sat watching over Stark as he slept peacefully. After that, though, I started to drift off. I really didn't think anything would happen, so maybe it was okay.

The dream was super frightening. I saw Nyx and then, I definitely knew I was dreaming then, my mother. "I'm dead, aren't I," asked Linda. Her voice sounded hollow and scared.

Nyx's voice was calm and soothing. "Yes, you are dead, Linda."

Okay, this was messed up. I wanted to wake up from this horrible nightmare, and I tried to, but something stopped me: Nyx's voice.

_You must see this, my daughter. You must._

I looked down into the complete Darkness. My mom was with Nyx in what I recognized as the beautiful entrance to Nyx's realm.

I couldn't help myself. I called out to my mother.

Nyx's voice sounded in my head. _No, you must bear witness silently._

"So, I guess God is a girl," my mother laughed slightly. "Either that or I am in Hell because of my sins."

"Sins do not matter here in my real," said Nyx softly. "All that matters if you choose Light or Darkness. Which one do you choose, Linda?"

"I don't know. My soul is at balance isn't it? I have made so many mistakes in my life. I think lately I have been on the bad side."

Nyx smiled a radiant smile at my mother. "Are you sorry for your mistakes?"

"Yes, of course I am. I was being totally evil."

Nyx's smile didn't fade. "There is a great deal of difference between being evil and being weak. I believe you were being the latter."

"I was weak. I didn't want to be. I screwed up everything that was important to me. My daughter Zoey probably hates me, and now I will never get to make it up to her. I will never be able to it up to her. I will never be able to tell her how much I love her."

Nyx smiled.

My mother's eyes widened. "You are her Goddess, aren't you? You are Nyx."

"I am indeed," she said.

My mother's features brightened. "So Zoey will be here some day?"

"She will be, but I hope that she will not be here for a very, very long time."

My mother smiled and then hesitantly asked a question. "So can I wait here for her?"

I couldn't believe it; my mother really really loved me. A tear fell from my eyes.

"Of course you may," said Nyx. "Welcome to the Otherwold, Linda Redbird. Leave the evil and terror of the world behind, and revel in love. There is always love.

I woke up. Stark's eyes opened too. "What is wrong?"

"My mother, she's dead. She's really dead. But she loved me, she really, really loved me."

"Of course she did," said Stark.

I suddenly started to cry. Stark wrapped his arms around me, and for long and lovely moments I sat and cried in my Guardian's arms. I cried out all the pain and suffering and regret and loss. Until there was only my love for Stark, and his love for me. I knew I would see my mother again some day. My heart was filled with newly restored hope for the future.

-/-

**Stevie Rae**

Stevie Rae lay awake beside Rephaim. He had fallen asleep, but Stevie Rae remained awake. She drank in his incredible beauty. He was a stunning Cherokee boy. He was like one of Zoey's ancestors. He had dark tanned skin and ebony hair. His eyes were the color of shining onyx. His lips were full and beautiful. At the moment the corners of them were turned up in a peaceful smile. Stevie Rae couldn't help but smile herself. She felt incredibly luck.

Finally after everything they had been through, they could finally be together. Thanks to Nyx, the amazing, wonderful, Goddess. She couldn't help but feel like a kid on Christmas. She had just unwrapped the best pair of cowboy boots and Kenny Chesney's Greatest Hits. No, actually, this was way better. Nyx had given her the guy she loved.

Even though at sunrise he would turn into a raven, the form of the beast within him, he was still here with her. Yes, they would have to work through many, many issues. But that didn't seem to matter. They were finally going to be together. Stevie Rae's smile grew. He was just so darn perfect. What was kind of weird is that he could have been Zoey's brother. Oh well, Stevie Rae could work past the awkwardness of being with someone who looked like her best friend's brother. But as she looked at the beautiful, sleeping Rephaim, she couldn't help but see the resemblance between him and his father. It was only slight: in the strong features and ebony hair. But it was still there.

Kalona. Stevie Rae couldn't figure him out. He was so darn confusing. She remembered begging him to release his son. Kalona had insisted that he had always given Rephaim his love as his son, his favored son. Rephaim had denied that, staking a claim that in a different time, in a different place, it could have been true.

She had seen a spark of something in Kalona's eyes. But it had quickly been replaced with something else: bitterness and reluctance, or something like that.

Stevie Rae also remembered the incredible risk she had taken. She had claimed that there was still a sliver of the old Kalona left way down deep within his heart. By some goddess given miracle, Kalona had actually given Rephaim a choice. He had given away his son after claiming that they could never really have a real relationship. Then he had flown away.

Something about Kalona's piece of advice disturbed her. He had claimed that she would never truly love Rephaim because he was a monster. But of course, he hadn't been there when Nyx arrived. Nyx came and gave a gift that made their relationship a little bit easier. Yes, she would prove Kalona wrong. Besides, even if Nyx hadn't come along, Stevie Rae knew in her heart that she truly loved Rephaim, and she always would. Oh yes, Kalona was so totally wrong. She knew he was Rephaim's daddy and all, but it made her really sad that he didn't really seem to care that much about his own son. But what else could she expect. Kalona was like an alcoholic father, drunk with his own power and Darkness. He was a deadbeat dad, but at least at the end, Kalona had set him free, which showed some sort of promise for the future. Oh well, why was she even thinking about Kalona?

Stevie Rae looked down at Rephaim and her heart was filled with hope for the future.


	2. Chapter 2

**Stark**

Stark opened his eyes. However, he still felt incredibly tired and groggy. He suspected that the sun still hadn't set. He silently thanked the Goddess that he was deep within the Tulsa tunnels. There was no possible way the sunlight could reach him: reach him and burn him.

He absentmindedly ran his fingers ran through the veil of ebony. They traced the sapphire tattoos of her bare back: the intricate patterns that he had memorized over the past weeks. Her skin felt so good against his. Stark smiled. He was still somewhat in shock that Zoey, the love of his life, was finally his. He looked down. His eyes were closed, and her chest was rising and falling slowly. She had a content smile on her beautiful face. She looked like an angel, or perhaps she even looked like Nyx herself.

He thought of how lucky he was to have Zoey sleeping with him, wrapped in his arms. He was incredibly lucky, but despite all that, something had gone completely wrong last night.

Despite the fact that he was still kind of out of it, Stark started to remember the crazy shit that had happened last night. Literally, the shit had hit the fan. Their kiss had begun slow and gentle. Stark had thought that it was going to be like their times on Skye, perfect and peaceful, another half an hour of wonderful and complete bliss. Her skin was warm against his, she just felt so damn good. Their arms had wrapped around each other to form and intricate and binding design, like a Celtic Knot, and just as the remarkable sapphire tattoos that graced Zoey's wonderfully smooth alabaster skin.

Their passion for one another was both mutual and beautiful. They were completely and irrevocably in love. Why then had something suddenly gone wrong? What had he done to screw everything up? The glorious moments of shared passions and mutual pleasure had turned into a frightening and painful experience. Well at least it had been painful for Zoey, but it was most frightening to Stark. He hated the thought that he had actually hurt Zoey without meaning to.

Something had definitely come over him after a moment of tenderness. It was as if some otherworldly force had taken control of his body. He remembered everything getting hard, and his actions becoming rough. It almost seemed as if there was same dark and malevolent force willing him to take Zoey in a totally disgusting fashion. At first, it didn't seem like such a big issue. Stark had thought that he was just getting a little too excited. Which of course was easy to do when he was with Zoey. But no, it was something much more than that.

In moments he had transformed from a Red Vampyre to an insatiable beast. His animal instincts demanded that he ravage the exquisite creature that lay beside him. His grip on her body became firm and stone-like. He ignored her soft cry of pain. He ignored her when she told him to stop. The insatiable beast within him would not be satisfied. After moments of ferocity the dark and savage beast within his soul had retreated, almost as quickly as it had come. He lay beside his lady.

The apologies of course had poured out from his lips, shining with some of her blood. He thanked the goddess that Zoey was totally forgiving. However, Stark could not deny that the experience had scared the hell out of him as well. Despite the fear, they both had managed to find a peaceful sleep.

Now Stark lay awake, still holding Zoey in his arms. His fear had returned once more. Stark tried to refocus on the memory. He tried to remember his feelings and the awful and powerful force that had instantaneously seized his body, soul, and mind. However, he didn't have to think too long.

Darkness.

The single word haunted him like the worst imaginable nightmare. Even though Zoey refused to believe it, Stark knew that deep down within his soul, a tiny fragment of Darkness remained. Darkness, after all, never fully released what it had once possessed. Stark knew that he had been reborn as a creature of Darkness. Despite his love for Zoey and the Goddess. Despite the fact that he was now dedicated to the path of Light.

He could still see the awful white bull in the darkest corner of his mind. The bull's terrible eyes had been watching him ever since he had died and undied. It was scary, and even though ninety-nine percent of the time he did not dwell on Darkness, he could not deny its existence within his soul.

Still, what the hell had happened? In the months that he had rededicated himself to Zoey and Nyx, the tiny fragment of Darkness had never once influenced his decisions. He shouldn't have ignored the first time this had happened. He should have been more mindful of the Darkness within his soul.

Even though Stark had defeated his evil self in the Otherworld: the incredible cocky, dishonest, and evil Stark that sadly reminded him so much of Kalona, he still felt haunted by his essence. Mostly he was able to forget about this haunting, especially when he was with Zoey. But had he really and truly defeated him? Of course he had, otherwise he never would have made it into Nyx's realm. He never would have saved Zoey. He never would have fought off Kalona. He never would have died.

Wait. His thoughts flashed back to Kalona. He remembered the ebony and bloodstained spear that the immortal had used to kill him. After that there were moments that he couldn't remember. He made a note to ask Zoey about them later.

But then he remembered the lips that had touched his. He imagined that they were Zoey's. But they were not. They belonged to Kalona, and they had breathed in a sliver of his spirit back into his body.

_Kalona was forced to save me! Somehow this is that assholes fault._

Stark scowled up at the ceiling. Had Kalona found someway to control him through the sliver of his spirit that resided in his body? No. Stark shook his head. The idea was fucking crazy and ridiculous. Besides if Kalona somehow was able to control his body, he would have known it. Also, Kalona would have tried to kill Zoey. The thought scared the hell out of Stark. He knew that he could never kill Zoey no matter what dark force lurked inside of him, be it Kalona or the pearly whit bull himself. He was her Warrior, her Guardian, and, as he looked down at his queens naked body he smiled, her lover. Nothing could ever turn him away from Zoey. He would be with her for life.

The more he thought about it, the more ludicrous the idea seemed. There was no way in hell that Kalona could control him. After all, the sliver of his immortal spirit wasn't used to possess, but to preserve. Yes, now that he thought about it, there was no way that he needed to get Zoey all worried over nothing. After all, whatever had happened last night was some freak incident. It didn't mean anything.

After all, that fucking asshole would never be able to get near Zoey again. And even if he tried, Stark knew he would always protect his lady. A Guardian always protected his Queen. Besides that, Zoey would never choose Kalona over him. Kalona was an evil bastard who deserved to be trapped in the earth. If there was one thing Stark knew, it was that Zoey's love for him was unbreakable. They had proved it over the past few weeks. They were bonded by something way more than some weird connection deep within Zoey's soul: the connection that Kalona claimed he had on Z.

Stark's laughter was hollow as he looked up at the roughly cut stone bricks that made up the tunnel ceiling. His arms tightened around Zoey and he was able to push all thoughts of Kalona from his mind. After all, he had won everything, and Kalona had lost.

**Kalona**

The immortal dreamed of Zoey Redbird when he fell asleep. But it was unlike any experience he had ever had, and it was not as good as he thought it would be.

They had met there before, on the rooftop of the ancient castle that had long ago housed the High Council of all vampyres.

Kalona looked around and took in the incredible beauty of the ancient and powerful place. The stone fountain, which housed the glorious statue of a naked woman with hands raised above her head. Her eyes turned up to the brilliantly blue sky. The statue was a representation of Nyx. Her palms faced upwards toward the endless sky. Sparkling water flowed around the marble form. The representation of his once beloved Goddess stirred up the old feelings of passion that had been locked away deep within his heart. He snarled softly and pushed the Goddess from his mind.

He closed his eyes and breathed in the smell of citrus. Lush fruit trees, with boughs overflowing with oranges, lemons, and limes surrounded him. The scent filled his nose and lungs, and he was lost in the intoxicatingly fresh scent.

After a moment, his other senses started to take in everything. He could hear the slight wind blowing through the trees. He could hear the distant chirping of birds. Their song was sickeningly sweet. He felt the chill of the breeze brush across his bare chest and the feeling of warm sun on his bare chest. Then he heard footsteps.

He opened his eyes and started looking in every direction, trying to find the owner of the distant footsteps. He spread his feet apart, and felt the cold solidity of rough stone beneath them. It gave him comfort and strength. He opened his palm and whispered some indiscernible words. Tendrils of Darkness writhed and wriggled around a beam of solid air. The air turned black and the obsidian spear materialized. The point was incredibly sharp and diamond hard. It could easily slaughter anyone who dared to sneak up on him.

Kalona grasped the spear tightly in his right hand and braced himself for an attack. The footsteps were graceful and light. They were getting closer. Kalona hardly dared to breathe as he listened intently for the oncoming stranger. He would not be surprised, least of all not in his own dreams.

The footsteps stopped after another moment. He heard another breathing and knew that whoever was here was standing only feet behind him. But they were not attacking. Kalona readied the spear in his hand and whirled around.

The woman before him was so breathtaking that he couldn't help but drop his spear. He heard the soft sound of stone hitting stone. But it didn't matter. It was if his prayers had been answered. Everything he wanted, at the current time, had just appeared.

She stood before him, completely naked and utterly exquisite. He couldn't help but stare as his eyes wandered across her body, examining every intricate design of the sapphire tattoos that decorated her milky skin. The gorgeous marks of his beloved Goddess.

He took a step forward.

She matched his movements.

They continued the slow approach, matching each other move for move. They raised their hands towards one another, and came within and inch of touching each other. Kalona's heart was thumping wildly in his chest. It confused him. He had never _felt_ anything like this before. Well not for centuries. In fact, no woman had made him _feel_ since Nyx and A-ya. No one save for Zoey Redbird.

Kalona simply couldn't help himself. His prayers had been answered in the magical Realm of Dreams. He inched closer to the exotically beautiful woman before him. She looked different tonight, everything about her beauty was clearer, and he couldn't help but notice how her ivory skin sparkled in the golden sunlight that they were basking in at this very moment.

However, just has his hands came an inch within her waist, he stopped. A sudden fear gripped his heart. He suddenly felt if he touched her, she would fade away into nothing. It was as if she was a spectral form, one that could not be touched, could not be held. This theory terrorized his mind, and he did not touch her, even though a forbidden desire was pulsing through his body.

It was at that moment that he knew that he had not invaded Zoey Redbird's dreams. No. Whatever was happening was due to the machinations of his desperate desires, and his own darkest dreams. He looked at the woman before him, not daring to meet her eyes; for fear that this, too, would trigger her disappearance. It didn't seem fair that there was something preventing from taking whet he desired, even in his own dreams. It made him angry. The emotion was familiar and somewhat soothing.

Had Nyx brought this on to punish him? No, the thought was absolutely ludicrous. Nyx would not waste her time torturing him. She was not that kind of Goddess. She did not revel in the suffering of others as his new master did.

The white bull entered his mind; he saw its shining pearl coat in the milky, flawless, ethereal skin of the woman he dared not to touch. Its blood red eyes formed at either side of her naval. Kalona moaned slightly.

"What do you want here now, my master?" he said softly enough so that the woman who may be an apparition of sorts could not hear him.

_Take her now, Kalona. Take what belongs to you._

"She will disappear, master."

_Do not be a coward. Take her now!_

The bulls red eyes disappeared and Kalona shuddered out of pure anger and terror. The bull had no right to order him around. What did the bull want with Zoey Redbird anyway? There was nothing that the bull stood to gain. What really caused his blood to boil was the fact that Darkness had dared appear in his dreams. Darkness did not like the Realm of Dreams; it was too closely connected with Nyx's Realm. It was too closely connected with Light.

Kalona looked back at the perfect form before him. She was breathing softly. She dared not to speak. Perhaps Kalona was going mad within his own dreams. He could not touch her; he could not look into her eyes. She would not speak to him, and he would not speak to her due to the fact that he was afraid of losing her.

Was he going mad? Why was he experiencing this torture? It was absolutely unbearable. Kalona longed to touch the woman before him. He longed to trace the patterns of her tattoos.

This awful _feeling_. Would he ever be rid of feeling? It was one of the only things that made him weak. Feelings disgusted him. He wished to banish him from his heart, but he had a feeling that as long as Zoey Redbird walked this earth, and he prayed that it would be for a very long time, he would be haunted by feelings.

However, if he had feelings, what would stop him from having Zoey Redbird as well?

Kalona pushed the question out of his head. This was the madness settling in. He did not _want _Zoey Redbird. She was not Nyx. She was not the Goddess he had loved for centuries. The very Goddess that he still loved deep within his heart, she who would never, ever love him. Zoey Redbird was the reincarnation of his maiden A-ya, the very same one who was created to love and entrap him. The Cherokee woman who had also earned his love. But she was the modern version of A-ya. She had rejected him. She did not want his love anymore, or at least what he called love. He wondered if he was even capable of the emotion

Yet there she stood before him, waiting to be taken. The smile on her rose red lips was warm and inviting. Kalona knew that he could do it right now. He knew that it would be easy. But the ease of possessing a woman within his dreams was pathetic. There was no sport in the action at all. It was not real. It was definitely not satisfying. Besides that, the ease of taking Zoey Redbird in this realm did not overshadow the fear that was gripping Kalona's heart: the fear that he would lose the ethereal apparition if he dared to move any closer. His desires were torturing him. She was the untouchable beauty: just like Nyx.

This had to be the work of the Goddess! It was some sort of alternate damnation.

The voices exploded from deep within his head.

_It is your choices that have brought this upon you. They are what continue to punish you and make you suffer, my Warrior._

_My love, I was created to save you from humanity. You are safe within the Earth; you can be at ease here in my arms. Your insatiable lust shall be banished._

_I will never abandon my Goddess. I will always choose love._

Kalona threw back his head and bellowed a wordless scream of terrible anger into the sky above. The golden sun, a flawless sphere hung above him. It's light blinded him momentarily. His eyes stung with hot tears of anger. He looked down at his feet. This madness was unbearable.

There was one thing that could soothe him, and he pushed the fear out of his mind. These were his dreams, and they would not torture him. Even if it was not reality, he would not lose what he most desired. He would take what he deserved, even if it could never happen in the real world.

Kalona dared to touch her skin.

A mix of fire and ice exploded through his body. Hot waves and cold tides mixed together as they washed over his entire body. Zoey Redbird began to melt away. Kalona looked into the endless onyx eyes before she disappeared. There was sadness deep within. He heard his name in the distance as she disappeared from his touch. This was unbearable.

Kalona's painful and desperate creams reverberated off the stone of the massive and ancient castle.

The sky had suddenly become black. There was no moon in the sky.

Kalona took three great steps over to the jagged edge of the castle tower. He looked down. The perfect and peaceful blue waters of the ocean had turned the deepest navy, a shade so intense it was almost black. Waves crashed against the stone of the castle and the building began to shake. Kalona heard the smack of water against stone over and over again. A tempest was raging below him, just as a tempest of emotion was raging within his heart. Kalona looked around him, and the lush fruit trees began to collapse and writhe like horrid snakes on the stone floor of the castle rooftop. The deep brown bark turned black, as if ferocious embers had burned the trees. The fountain collapsed.

The Goddess toppled over and Kalona ran to catch the marble. It too had begun to turn to obsidian. The representation of the goddess began to crumble. Her stone eyes were cold and emotionless, just as they were on the terrible day when she banished him from her realm.

The obsidian shattered and cut his hands. Blood dripped from his torn palms. The scarlet blood turned ebony. The rough stone turned black too, and suddenly everything faded into darkness. Kalona hung suspended in the infinite darkness. He had left the ancient place of the Vampyre Council. He was alone and there were no pleasant experiences to keep him company. He was alone in the bone-chilling cold of a dark abyss. This was no dream. It was a nightmare.

Then a blinding light erupted from the darkness. A creature formed from the light. Its eyes glowed the color of fresh blood. Its pearl coat shined with a gleam on undeniable menace. The bull was terrifying and beautiful.

Kalona fell to his knees and raised his head to meet the eyes of his master.

_Kalona, you did not obey. No one has ever disobeyed me, yet you dare, even in dreams._

"No," said Kalona, but the word had absolutely no meaning whatsoever. The bull roared its ancient frustrations.

_Then suffer my heartless one. _

The incredible pain exploded across his body. Kalona looked down. Deep lacerations covered his naked skin, crisscrossing in a bloody design that matched tattoos of a Red Vampyre.

Kalona could hear the deafening laughter of Darkness. It shook him to his core.

Then Darkness began to feed on the blood that pored from Kalona's deep lacerations.

Kalona screamed in agony, and for once in his existence began to beg for everything to end.

The nightmare ended.

Kalona's eyes opened. He was lying on the cold earth beneath the trees of some forest in Oklahoma, a place not too far from Tulsa, not too far from Zoey Redbird.

Kalona was glad that the torment was over. Everything had just been a dream. Zoey was real in this world. But even he did not underestimate the unearthly power of dreams. His nightmare had meant something, and even though he didn't fully understand it, he knew that it somehow meant that Zoey Redbird could never be his. But he would prove this wrong. The rest of the dream, well he would work through that later.

Kalona wiped the back of his hand across is forehead to find it drenched with warm sweat. He was still shaking slightly. All he could think at that moment was: _I never want to feel this vulnerable again._

**Stevie Rae**

The sun was about to set when Stevie Rae woke up. She rolled over and saw a beautiful black raven perched on one of her ragged bedposts. An idle thought crossed her mind, and she thought that she definitely needed to get some new furniture. There was a lot to do to make the tunnels inhabitable for everyone.

Stevie Rae glanced back at the raven. Memories came flooding back and she remembered that the guy she was Imprinted with was a part-time beast. It was slightly depressing, but at the same time it was amazing. Rephaim was so darn gorgeous as a Cherokee boy. She couldn't wait until sunset so she could be in Rephaim's arms once again.

_Oh thank you Nyx._ Stevie Rae thanked Nyx from the bottom of her heart, and she was reminded that the Goddess was the kindest and most forgiving person, or deity or whatever, in the entire world. Stevie Rae knew that in the future she would definitely work twice as hard to serve her goddess. She would be forever in her debt. But that was okay. Stevie Rae loved Nyx with all her heart and she had a lifetime of thanking to do.

Stevie Rae watched the raven for a few moments, waiting anxiously for sunset.

After a few moments she heard footsteps behind her. Stevie Rae looked over her shoulder to see her BFF coming towards her. "Mornin' Z," she said softly, smiling slightly.

Zoey smiled too. "Hey, Stevie Rae. So are you waiting for bird to turn back to boy?"

Stevie Rae shot her friend a look.

Zoey looked down. "I'm sorry, Stevie Rae, it was just a joke."

"I know," she said, "It's just, oh Zoey, what if he doesn't turn back into a human."

Zoey went and sat next to her best friend. "You don't need to worry about that. Nyx doesn't lie, she keeps her promises."

"I know," said Stevie Rae, a tear falling from the corner of her eye, "but what if something goes wrong. I wish the sun would just hurry up and set. I'm so darn nervous, and I don't know why. I have complete faith in Nyx, but I'm just so worried I could cry."

All Zoey could do was hug her best friend as she started to cry.

"Oh Goddess, Stevie Rae," said Aphrodite, coming up behind them. "Bird boy is going to be okay, so put on your big girl panties and get ready to see your bird boy turn into an actual boy."

Stevie Rae looked up at the blond, who was already looking perfect as usual despite the early hour. Stevie Rae rolled her eyes. It just wasn't fair. "Do you have to be so hateful? Aphrodite. It's too darn early for you to be saying' something mean."

Aphrodite did look slightly sorry about what she said, but she shrugged it off with a casual "whatever."

With that, Stevie Rae started to tear up again.

Zoey shot her warning look. But Aphrodite shrugged that off too, because a second later Darius walked up behind her and slid his hand into hers. Luckily, Darius was super sweet and super sensitive. He was usually the one apologizing for the rude crap that Aphrodite said. Besides, even when Aphrodite was trying to be nice, she still needed help in her articulation. Articulation: a word I knew thanks to Damien, heehees. "Our Goddess always keeps her promises, Priestess," he said addressing Stevie Rae.

She looked up and gave him a half smile, and then she wiped a few tears from her eyes. "What if he doesn't turn back? I don't know what I would do!"

Darius gave her a confident smile. "Rephaim will be restored, Stevie Rae. Have faith."

"Thanks, Darius," replied Stevie Rae, still sniffing slightly. Then she looked at Aphrodite. "You are lucky you have such a great guy to apologize for you."

Aphrodite gave Darius a look that expressed that she knew that she was way luckier than anyone else knew. But she did feel bad, Stevie Rae was obviously in pain. "Sorry, Stevie Rae. He'll come back," she said. The she shook off the sentimentality and said, "But if he doesn't, you know where to find us. Come on Darius, I am hungry; Let's see if we can round up any thing to eat in this nasty place. Then you can escort me while I max out my mom's gold card." Aphrodite tossed her cascade of flawless blond hair and flounced off into the direction of the makeshift kitchen.

Darius lingered for a moment. "Isn't she wonderful?" he asked, looking back at her.

"Oh sure," said Stevie Rae and Zoey together.

Darius gave them both a warm smile and said, "Stay strong, Stevie Rae. Have faith in our Goddess." Then he turned away to follow Aphrodite.

When he was out of earshot, Zoey smiled at her BFF and said, "Aphrodite may have her wonderful moments, but more often than not, she has her witchy moments."

The two friends laughed for a moment.

It felt good for Stevie Rae to laugh, but the distraction was only momentary. Stevie Rae looked back over at Rephaim. Since she was a Red Vampyre she was more in tune with when the sun would set, and according to her senses, if was only a few short moments away from setting. Stevie Rae's heart started to pound in her chest.

The two girls waited anxiously as they looked at the ebony raven on the bedpost.

**Zoey**

I looked over at the black bird. I still couldn't believe that Stevie Rae was Imprinted with Kalona's favorite son. Even more than that I couldn't believe that she hadn't told anyone about it. I guess I understood. After everything that Rephaim and Kalona had done, I knew that none of us would really understand. I knew what it was like to keep big important stuff from my friends, so I had a lot of sympathy for my friend.

Now that everything was out in the open things would get easier. Which was a pretty big relief, because my friends and I were going to have to deal with a lot of drama due to the fact that we all packed up and left the House of Night for the tunnels. It was all Neferet's fault, okay maybe not all her fault, it was partially Kalona's too.

But I couldn't, no I wouldn't think of Kalona right now. Sure he had let his son go, but honestly he was still pretty much and evil, creepy jerk.

Thinking about Kalona made me think about Rephaim. I sincerely wanted my best friend to be happy. I mean I found a guy that I loved, and I wanted my best friend to be as happy as I was. But still, I couldn't help but think that there was something suspicious about Kalona letting hi son betray him. It just didn't make sense that Kalona would willingly allow his son to choose the Goddess. But whatever, I couldn't spoil my best friends happiness. She was in love with Rephaim after all, and as far as Nyx was concerned, Rephaim loved Stevie Rae too. So I would let it be for now, but that didn't mean that I wasn't going to be keeping a close watch on Rephaim.

Anyway, the sun was about to rise. I held Stevie Rae's hand and squeezed it. "Don't worry Stevie Rae, he will be restored. Nyx loves you, and she forgave Rephaim."

"Oh Zoey, it means so much to me for you to say that. I thought you would hate me after all the lying I did."

"I could never hate you," I said, "and as for Rephaim, I bet everyone will give him a chance. If you love him and Nyx forgave him, he at least deserves a chance."

Stevie Rae practically tackled me after that. She started crying again and all I could do was hug her back, as she said, "Thank you so much Z! "

"I'll always be here for you," I said truthfully. I totally heart my best friend.

We both stooped talking and looked over at Rephaim.

A ring of light surrounded the raven. It rose up into the air. Wings turned to arms. Bird feet extended and turned into legs. Ebony feathers were replaced with shining pale skin. The remaining feathers morphed into thick and shaggy black hair, and his bird face transmuting into a face built with strong Cherokee features.

He fell onto the bed beside Stevie Rae and me. He didn't speak because Stevie Rae gave him a smothering embrace. "Oh Rephaim, I was so worried you wouldn't change back," she cried.

I looked at Rephaim. It was remarkable how much he resembled his father. But he was better than Kalona, I reminded myself. He had chosen love. He had chosen the Goddess. In the mean time I would set my suspicions aside. I smiled at my best friend and her Consort. Then I said, "Well, I'll leave you two alone. See you later." Then I ducked out of their room before either of them could tell me otherwise. Because honestly, Stevie Rae was too darn polite to tell someone that she wanted alone time.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N So in each chapter from now on there will be a Rephaim section and a Kalona Section, as well as a Stevie Rae and Zoey Section. After this chapter, an update might not come for awhile until I have a better idea of where this story will go. But for now, read, relax, and review! Happy Reading.**

**Rephaim**

Any chance for Rephaim to speak was lost when Stevie Rae jumped into his arms. She threw her arms around his neck, and he matched her loving and relieved gesture.

As Rephaim held Stevie Rae in his arms he tried to ignore the slight pain he was feeling. It was not a very pleasant experience to change from bird to human. His entire body was sore, his muscled ached from stretching out to human limbs, and his face hurt. But the pain was minimal and entirely worth the price he was paying. It was all worth it, and Rephaim realized this as he held the girl he loved in his arms.

Stevie Rae was sniffling slightly. She looked up at him, and despite the fact that her eyes were slightly red and puffy and there were shining streaks on her face from tears, she still looked extremely beautiful. In fact, Rephaim realized that Stevie Rae was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen in his entire life. Which was rather impressive, as he had seen many desirable women in the centuries of service to his father. Her thick strawberry blond hair was like what with a touch of rose. Her pale ivory skin was flawless and accented by the scarlet and intricate designs of extravagant flowers that showed her connection with the earth, (the Marks of the Goddess that forever tattooed her skin). Her other features were flawlessly beautiful, and it seemed incredible that a creature like Stevie Rae was with him now. The fact that she had chosen him, even as a monster, seemed so impossible. Yet, it had happened. She was his. It was a miracle, and probably the best thing that had ever happened to him in his entire life, and it was probably the best thing that ever would happen. But only the Goddess knew.

Stevie Rae wiped a few tears from her slightly blotchy eyes. When she spoke, her voice was soft and shaky. "Oh Rephaim, I was so worried that you wouldn't come back to me. I was so terrified that something would go wrong."

"Why would you doubt the Goddess? She makes dreams come true." He stated the simple and truthful fact as if it was the most obvious thing in the entire world.

Stevie Rae smiled at him before kissing him gently on the lips. Rephaim still couldn't believe that they could actually share these wonderful moments together. Never in his wildest dreams had he imagined that he would get to share these experiences with Stevie Rae. How could he? Before his choice for Light, he was a full time monster. Even though now he turned into a bird by daylight, for half of each day, he could actually be with Stevie Rae as a _human. _Nyx had given him his heart's desire. He would be eternally grateful to her for that.

He remembered the small blond child that had visited him once and awhile. Her laughter was musical and her words were loving and kind. He remembered how she had cautioned him to protect Stevie Rae. It had been Nyx all along who had influenced his decisions, even when he hadn't chosen her path. It had been Nyx who was watching over him and had reminded him that he wasn't all monster. He was half human, which meant that there was a definite possibility for him to have a future with Stevie Rae. Rephaim was more than willing to face his punishment for all the terrible things he had done in his centuries of loyalty to his father for the chance to make that possible future a reality.

Kalona. No. Rephaim wouldn't think of his father. He looked back down at Stevie Rae. She was leaning into his chest. There was a smile on her perfect rose lips. Her gorgeous eyes were sparking with a glow of happiness. Again, Rephaim couldn't believe that he had awakened this sort of joy within Stevie Rae, and within himself. For he too realized that he was the happiest person on earth. This happiness was enough to distract him from the one he had betrayed: at least it was enough to distract him momentarily anyway. "Our Goddess," he said slowly, testing the words out to make sure they felt right. To his relief they did. "Believes in love and forgiveness. She granted her forgiveness. She gave me a most precious gift. She wouldn't take back her word."

"I know," said Stevie Rae, "but I was still so worried. I knew I was being a little bit paranoid. I have complete faith in Nyx. She gave me the best gift possible."

The two started at each other with adoration so pure and honest that it could not be taken for anything but love. Rephaim pulled Stevie Rae closer to him. His arms tightened around her. He tested the unfamiliar waters of pleasure, never had he gotten anything wet but his toes .She felt so good against him. She was so loving and warm. Her loving warmth spread over his body and gave him a pleasure that he had never known. He kissed her forehead. "Thank Goddess for you, Stevie Rae," he said slowly, making sure that it felt right to thank Nyx. This was all so new to him. Of course, he knew he would be thanking Nyx every day for the rest of his life and it would never be enough.

Stevie Rae looked up at him through think blond lashes. "Thank Goddess for you, Rephaim. In fact I have been thanking her every single day for the past few weeks now. Even though I thought you were going to rip my heart out of my chest and fly away with it." Stevie Rae looked embarrassed, as if she had just uttered the worst thing imaginable. "I'm sorry I said that Rephaim. I wasn't thinking." She turned her head from him, as if she was scared to look at him.

However Rephaim did not see it that way. He cupped her face in his hands and turned it back towards him in a tender caress. "You don't need to apologize, Stevie Rae. I almost did leave you, and I am so glad that I didn't. I would have regretted it forever." He hesitated before kissing her gently on the lips.

Regret. The word washed over his heart. It was a strange and basically unfamiliar emotion. Did he regret betraying his father? Yes, he had left his father. But really, he shouldn't feel guilty. Kalona didn't love him like Stevie Rae did. Kalona claimed that he had some kind of paternal love for him, love as his favorite son, but never once had Kalona demonstrated this supposed love. Never once had Kalona treated him with genuine kindness and love. True, he had given him power, and at a time in his life, Rephaim had once equated love with power. He had accepted that power as a loving gesture. But then he had met Stevie Rae.

Stevie Rae, with her infinite supply of kindness, had shown him that love existed. Kalona had always told him that love was a fool's dream. Rephaim had believed him. He would have believed anything that his father said. He had once had an unshakable devotion for his father. There was a time when he would have done anything to earn his fathers approval, no matter how it had affected him personally. But that had all changed with Stevie Rae.

She had taken him in despite the fact that he had killed one of her professors. She helped him heal when no one else would, even though he was the son of her enemy. She hadn't killed him, even though she should have. He should have died. Oh yes. That's what should have happened. But against all odds, it hadn't.

By some miracle he had saved her life (twice) and she had saved his as well. They had Imprinted and they had fallen in love.

The thought was ludicrous. A powerful Red Vampyre High Priestess had fallen in love with a monster: the son of her enemy. It was a miracle to be sure.

Rephaim knew that he had made the right decision in choosing Light over Darkness, and choosing Nyx, over his father. Still, the thought of betraying Kalona was still unsettling. But Kalona had given him the choice. Rephaim remembered Stevie Rae's powerful and amazing words. He didn't think that they would work. He knew his father would not be swayed by words of a being he believed to be inferior to him. But by some miracle, Stevie Rae's pure rhetoric and sincere beliefs had awakened something deep within his father's heart.

In that moment, his father had given him the only gift that Rephaim desired: the choice to be free. No. Rephaim shouldn't feel guilty for choosing love for Stevie Rae over loyalty to his father. Loyalty could fade away. Love was forever.

Rephaim ran his fingers through Stevie Rae's strawberry blond hair. His hands swept across her body until they rested on her hips. She leaned into him and they stayed locked into a tender embrace for several long and wonderful moments. Rephaim tried his best to push thoughts of his father out of his mind. He tried to dismiss his guilt. However, he wasn't sure if he could. But he would try his hardest.

**Stark**

"Hey, Zoey, can I talk to you for a minute." He walked up to his lady and put his hands on her shoulders after he spoke. His hands moved down her arms and found her hips. Then he turned her around into his arms. She smiled at him, and in a tender caress, he swept her curtain of shining ebony hair out of her face.

"You can tell me anything, Stark. You're my Guardian. Plus, I don't know if you knew this but I'm kind of crazy for you."

"Oh really?" he asked, raising his eyebrows and giving her an impish grin. "I thought you were crazy for that totally hot Warrior that walked around in a kilt and had a way with bows and arrows."

Zoey gave him an oh-goddess-you-are-so-cocky look. "Stark, cocky isn't really that attractive on you. But I did like the kilt. That was pretty hot. I'm not going to lie; there is something appealing about a guy who is so confident he is willing to wear what is little more than a skirt. "

Stark gave her a warm smile. "Maybe I'll wear it more often then, my lady. If you like it so much. After all, it's my job to make you happy, my lady."

"Yeah, but you don't have to wear it now. Now what did you want to tell me?"

"I wanted to ask you exactly what happened in those few moments that I died in the Otherworld."

Zoey gave him a slightly confused look. "You know what happened."

"Yeah, but humor me, Zoey. I want to hear your exact version."

"Well Kalona threw that spear and you told him that nothing would ever shatter me again. Then you just sort of died. It was the worst thin ever. Seeing you like that, well, it really pissed me off. So then I tried to make Kalona bring you back. But he tried to leave, so I had to get in touch with the elements. Then he got really, really mad and said that I didn't have the power to force him to bring you back. But then Nyx showed up and fixed everything. Kalona followed her orders and gave you a part of his immortal spirit, and you came back to me."

"Wow. So I have part of Kalona's spirit in me. That's kind of creepy. So every time you kiss me you are sort of kissing Kalona."

_Shit! _The thought entered Stark's head and he immediately wished that it hadn't. No. He wouldn't think of the bizarre thing that had happened last night. He didn't even know if Kalona was the cause of it. He had already made up his mind that he wouldn't freak Zoey out with his suspicions. After all, the idea of Kalona getting access through the part of his spirit that now lived inside of him was ridiculous. There was no way in hell Stark would freak Zoey out.

Besides, by the look on her face, he could tell that he had said the wrong thing. Even though he had said it as a joke. He should have seen the punch coming. At least Zoey wasn't really trying to hurt him. But his arm did hurt for a couple of minutes after the blow.

_Smack! _"Ohmygoddess," said Zoey giving him an I-Can't-Believe-You-Just-Said-That look, "That is wrong on so many levels. Plus, kissing Kalona is nothing compared to kissing you, You are much better," and to prove her point, she leaned in and kissed him on the lips.

**Zoey**

I couldn't believe what Stark had just said to me. Because kissing him couldn't compare to kissing Kalona. Stark was so gentle and kind and wonderful. Plus, he genuinely loved me. I knew this because he had proved it over and over again. We were committed to one another. We had performed that ritual that bound us together for life. I thought of my really expensive and beautiful crème cark, and his MacUallis plaid, tied together to symbolize our new bond. He was my Guardian, my Warrior, and the guy I was totally in love with.

I could tell that I was in love with him because of the way I wanted him. In moments of pure passion and trust, I had given myself up to him. It wasn't misguided love as it had been with Loren Blake. After it had happened I felt no regret, because I knew that I had done the right thing. Even more important that that fact was the way my heart flipped around in my chest whenever he touched me, or even when he walked into the room. In fact, he never just entered the room. He filled it with love and happiness. He was pretty much the best thing that ever happened to me.

Kalona, on the other hand was totally different. Although he was pretty much the most perfect and indescribably beautiful guy that existed, the few times he had kissed me, I never sensed love, only icy passion that was mixed with lust and anger. Even though an icy, wonderful, and forbidden passion shot through me every time he kissed me, I knew that it was wrong and I knew it wouldn't last.

Kalona was totally evil. He was no Stark. He wasn't touched by Darkness that could be banished. He was consumed by it. He and Stark were polar opposites.

Stark was sweet, sensitive, wonderful, amazing, and so many other things that I couldn't describe with words. He actually loved me, and I loved him. I knew that we could have a happy and somewhat normal life together. There was also one other major thing difference. He was devoted to Light and our Goddess. He stood against everything that Kalona believed in. Stark was a good person.

Kalona one the other hand was an ancient and evil immortal, and while he was every bit as good looking as Stark, hell, he was better looking, he was not a force of Light. Even though he once claimed that he loved me and that he could change for me, I knew that it was all a bunch of bullpoopie. Kalona liked causing pain and terrorizing people. He was cold-blooded. Kalona, I figured, could probably never, ever choose Nyx again.

It didn't even matter that part of my soul wanted to be with him and wanted to love him. I was not the A-ya that had been created to love him. I was the modern A-ya. I was Zoey redbird and I had the greatest gift of all; my free will. I had chosen love. I had chosen not to be with him. Which meant that his passion was forbidden, and I didn't want any of the drama that would be created if Kalona walked into my life once again.

For once, I was actually really happy with the guy I was with. Nothing would change that, least of all Kalona. He was all wrong for me.

Anyway, I pushed all thoughts of Kalona out of my head. I so did not need the drama. Of course, I usually wasn't lucky and drama seemed to stick to me like a magnet stuck to a refrigerator.

**Kalona**

Kalona had a decision to make, but before he made it he needed to weigh all the possible outcomes. Being rational and making good decisions was first and foremost and art. It was a skill that he had mastered over the centuries. However, it was also a skill that he had often dismissed.

Kalona also needed a plan to satisfy his lust and obtain what he desired to make his own. But he would have to come up with the perfect idea. To come up with a scheme that would result in him possessing what he desired it would take trickery and cunning. It would take precision and time. He would have to manipulate and outthink everyone. It would be difficult, but eventually it would be done. But how could he devise a plan to obtain what his dreams had said was basically unattainable?

First he needed to devise what would be necessary to obtain what he desired. He began to think: cunning, well he possessed a lot of that. He would also need patience. Kalona understood the power of patience more than anyone. He had waited centuries to obtain what he wanted. He understood that patience was necessary in obtaining anything that was worthwhile. Manipulation would also be crucial. However, that mattered little to him. Over the centuries, Kalona had become a master of manipulation. But he also needed a foolproof plan.

Of course he also had some advantages in his possession. His powers of Darkness were practically infinite. He could do almost anything he wanted with these powers.

He was graced with the wisdom that came from being an immortal. Even if he had misused that wisdom from time to time. But at the moment, those times seemed insignificant.

Finally, his greatest asset of all was the ancient connection between himself and Zoey Redbird. For she was the reincarnation of the Cherokee woman that had been created to love him. The connection had been forged long ago, and it still remained intact, and even though she denied it, the connection was still incredibly powerful. Zoey Redbird could not deny the ancient connection.

However, it so happened that Zoey Redbird was also powerful for her young age. She also happened to be insufferably stubborn. Still, she possessed affinities for each of the elements, and he strongest affinity was for Spirit. Perhaps it was that which was part of her allure. After all, A-ya had been connected with each of the elements as well.

Kalona remembered the Cherokee woman well. He remembered how she was connected to each of the elements.

Earth. The Gighua women had fashioned A-ya from deep red clay from the earth. They had made her into an exquisite form, a perfect and beautiful angel. Her strong Cherokee features had been carved into the clay from generations of ancestors. The wise women had made her beautiful beyond comparison. The only one that matched her beauty was the Goddess Nyx. Yes, Earth had given A-ya the perfect body: a vessel unmatched by all other earthly vessels.

Air. The Gighua women had breathed air into the flawless clay vessel. The air had given her life. The air had given her the ability to speak incredible and wonderful words of love and beauty. They allowed her to laugh, and her laughter was as light as Air itself. Finally they had given her the ability to sing. He remembered the songs of the ancients, the familiar poetry of her words and the quality of her voice, smooth as honey. The combination of those aspects had lifted his soul to a place of incredible contentment.

Water. The Gighua women had made her gentle and graceful with the power of water. The water had also made her wise. Even when A-ya had trapped him deep within the bowels of the earth, she had made her choices sound logical and wise, as if they would most benefit him. A-ya had been gentle and smooth in all her actions. Her words had been filled with wisdom of the ages.

Fire. The Gighua women had given her passion with fire. A-ya had been created to love him with all of her heart and body and soul. She had been created to tempt him into entrapment. He had gone willingly into her warm embrace. He remembered the heat that had passed through his body whenever they kissed or touched. In her passions, she had entrapped him, but she had also loved him despite his countless and dark flaws. Just as he had loved her.

Spirit. In a way the Gighua women had given A-ya the spirit of his beloved Goddess. The powers of Spirit allowed A-ya to connect with him on every imaginable level.

The Gighua women had created the most perfect woman imaginable: well at least the most perfect woman since Nyx. The gorgeous Cherokee woman was modeled after generations of powerful Cherokee ancestors. A-ya had connections with each of the elements, just as Nyx had. She was equally a beautiful as the exquisite Goddess. She was the only person who Kalona could love (besides Nyx). She had played upon his greatest weakness: his lust and desire.

Kalona tried to pull his thoughts away from the long lost Cherokee maid. He tried to draw comfort from the fact that she had made a modern day resurrection. Kalona remembered when he had risen from the earth. He remembered the moment when he had first laid eyes on her. Zoey Redbird represented the best of Nyx and A-ya. Was it any wonder that she was one of the few women that could actually make him _feel?_ Even though he detested having such feelings of weakness within his heart, he couldn't deny their existence. They were there and they had to be dealt with in a timely and effective matter.

This prospect drew Kalona back to the fact that he needed a plan, something that would ensure that he would be able to make Zoey Redbird his once and for all.

There was the classic tactic of course. He could attempt to visit Zoey in her dreams. But what would he say? What could he say to such a stubborn young woman? What could he say to sway her to his side when she was poised to stand against him for the rest of her days? Oh yes, he would need to do more than just enter her dreams.

To accomplish such a feat seemed practically impossible. No. Kalona could not start doubting himself now. He had never been one to doubt himself. He had learned to take what he wanted when he wanted it. After he had lost Nyx, he had vowed never to be denied what he wanted ever again. For centuries, he had taken what he wanted by any means necessary. Zoey Redbird, the foolish girl, had challenged that legacy. He would not let her get away with it. He would not allow her to stand in his way. Yes, he would take her by any means necessary.

Kalona looked around at the trees that surrounded him. He would have to find a better base location. He would need to find somewhere where he could make a plot to take what he deserved, and eventually, it would need a place where he could lure Zoey, where he could carry out whatever plot he thought of.

Kalona stood up and spread his wings. He shot up into the air and out of the trees. He had picked an isolated forest for his hideout, and there was no one around to spot him, even if there had been a mortal around, it would have been insignificant.

Mortals were so foolish. They never believed the things they saw, especially if what the saw went against nature. A dark smile crossed Kalona's features. Humans were so easy to manipulate. They were incredibly weak and simple-minded.

The forest he picked was small. The trees, several different types were planted up a sloping hill. At the top of the hill there was a clearing. Peaceful and bathed in shadows. The thick wall of trees hid it from anyone who might venture up there by accident. Kalona decided as he hung suspended in the air, the heat of the sun beating down on his bare back, that this would be the perfect place to construct a manor of his own design.

Kalona looked down at the small clearing, and decided that there was not enough room for a glorious manor, but at the very least, he could create a flat similar to the Mayo that Neferet had bought for them. Kalona threw his head back and laughed. Neferet must be missing him terribly. There must be a hole within her black heart. A hole that only he, with his incredible passion, could fill. The idea was remarkable. However, he hated the Tsi Sigli woman, and it made him remarkably happy that she might be miserable due to his absence. Neferet deserved to be miserable. She deserved to be punished.

Kalona thought of the penthouse and focused on his powers of Darkness, which were so vast that they could even create modern machinations. A penthouse rose from the bowels of the earth.

The shining white stone of the walls was highly polished. The glass windows and doors glistened in the sunlight. The accents of the building were painted with shining ebony. The penthouse was beautiful and architecturally sound. He knew the inside would be tastefully decorated as only the most high-class mortal dwellings were. But that mattered little to him. He just needed a stronghold to plan.

Kalona swooped into the clearing and onto the luxurious open rooftop. He knew there would be many nights where he would sit in solitude and drink in the darkness of the night sky, and moments where he would gulp down the cool night air. He leaned over the stone balcony as he looked up at the brilliant blue sky. After a moment he decided to retire to the master bedroom.

His wings spread across the bed and he looked up at the flawless black of the ceiling. The hue reminded him of Zoey's endless onyx eyes. He remembered seeing them on Neferet. He remembered the vivid visualizations of his last night with that horrid woman. Kalona pulled the soft black sheets over his half-naked body, and allowed the soft warmth to envelop him. He was instantly reminded of the warmth he had experienced in vicariously making love to Zoey. The warmth of her embrace had penetrated the icy heat of his skin. It warmed his entire body in an unexpected way. Finally he remembered the mixture of emotions that the young fledgling had awakened deep within his heart. Emotions that he never dreamed he would ever feel again: these emotions that he believed had been wiped from his being entirely.

It was at that moment in which Kalona decide he would find Zoey in her dreams tonight. He would take a piece of what he wanted, even if it was short term and even if he had to take it by force. Kalona remembered the dreams he had shared with Zoey. Each of them had made him _feel _one thing or another. The first dream he had shared, he had seemed so normal and kind and loving, even if it had all been a ruse. He remembered the second dream in which he had stolen incredible moments of intimacy from her. These moments that had driven Zoey to throw herself off of the castle wall. He recalled the deep pain and sorrow that had filled his heart, despite the fact that deep down he knew that she had not been lost to him. But it had felt so real! The final dream came to him in which he had shown her the truth of his past. His final attempt to sway her to his side: until now at least. Even though he thought feelings were weak and he wanted to rid himself of them, he couldn't help but desire the sensation. He couldn't help but desire the way that holding Zoey Redbird in his arms made him feel. He couldn't deny his longing for the strange intoxication that passed through his body whenever he kissed her. The pleasure was strange and wonderful.

Kalona had an immense capacity for pleasure, and it had been long filled and overflowing in A-ya's ancient embrace. Ever since he had been liberated from his earthly prison, he had not felt that pleasure. Neferet could not give it to him. The only time that came close was the few times he had caught Zoey off guard: the few times where he had managed to steal an occasional kiss or caress.

Yes, Kalona's mind was made up. He could visit Zoey in her dreams. He would weigh the consequences of his actions later. He would come up with a conventional plan at a later time. Kalona couldn't help but smile. For tonight, he would experience and unimaginable and forbidden pleasure.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N Here is the rewritten version of chapter four! Read, relax and review.**

**Stevie Rae**

Stevie Rae slid her hand into Rephaim's, looked over at him and said, "Well, I guess we should probably get out of this room at some point today. Even though we left the House of Night, it's still High School, and the Twins are going to need someone to gossip about, and there's a good chance it could be us if we are not careful." Stevie Rae laughed dismissively.

Rephaim gave her an odd look. Then Stevie Rae remembered that he might not realize whom exactly she was talking about. "The Twins are Erin and Shaunee," said Stevie Rae.

Rephaim continued giving her a strange look. "They don't look alike at all."

Stevie Rae smiled as she wondered how she would explain this. It struck her that it was going to take a lot of adjusting, and in Rephaim's case, a lot of explaining. "Well they aren't biological Twins. They are soul twins. Anyway, you will understand after spending some time with everyone. They finish each other's sentences."

Rephaim squeezed her hand. "I'll take your word for it. But I think it will be awhile until your friends get used to me. If they ever do."

Stevie Rae turned and gave Rephaim a quick kiss on the cheek. "Don't worry. My friends are some of the best people in the world. They will accept anyone with enough time. Especially if they're as sweet as sugar."

Rephaim looked down at his bare feet. "They didn't accept my father," he mumbled.

However, Stevie Rae heard him anyway. "Your daddy isn't really a nice guy. He's been on the wrong path for way longer than you have. Anyway you are way different than your daddy. You chose Nyx's path. You chose love. Why did you bring up Kalona anyway?"

"No reason," said Rephaim, speaking in a tone that was barely audible. "It doesn't matter. I just though things could have been different if – "

"If what?"

"I do not want to say it. You might get angry with me."

"Rephaim," said Stevie Rae, turning towards him. "You can tell me anything. You got to know that."

"No, you will get angry with me. I don't want to upset you. Can't we just talk about this later?"

Stevie Rae was suspicious, however, she could tell that Rephaim was overly sensitive about this topic. She couldn't really blame him. He had basically just lost his father, and even though Kalona was a class a jerk, he was Still Rephaim's daddy. It had to be hard. So Stevie Rae squeezed his hand in hers. It was her way of apologizing for upsetting Rephaim, because she could tell that he didn't want does discuss anything at all anymore.

Rephaim slid his arm around her waist in a caress that was so filled with love that even words couldn't match it. Stevie Rae knew that Rephaim was mad at her, and that made her ridiculously happy, because she was certain that she had dared to tread on dangerous waters. Yet, Rephaim had forgiven her for her invading curiosity.

She couldn't help but smile. Apparently, the smile was stupid looking, because as she walked out of the room, hand in hand with Rephaim, they ran right into Aphrodite.

She raised one of her perfectly shaped blond eyebrows before throwing out a snide remark. "Oh, hey Honky-Tonk, Birdie Boy," she said, then she focused more on Stevie Rae, "You do know that these tunnels are totally nasty. Luckily for us, I have my mom's gold card to make this place livable. Anyway, I have a lot of remodeling to do." Then she turned to Rephaim, smiling only slightly to show that what she was about to say was a joke. "Rephaim, try not to get feathers all over the place. m'kay?"

Stevie Rae rolled her eyes as Aphrodite flounced away. Darius appeared a moment later, rolling a luggage cart piled with boxes. They were heading for Aphrodite's room, and Stevie Rae knew that Aphrodite's gold card was probably still hot from being swiped about a hundred times. As Darius passed he shot them both and apologetic look before heading after Aphrodite.

Once they were both out of earshot, Rephaim glanced at Stevie Rae. "Is she always so vile?" he asked.

Stevie Rae smiled slightly. "Kind of. But you get used to it, and on the rare occasion, she can actually be really nice."

Rephaim didn't seem convinced. "I suppose I'll believe it when I see it."

The next person they ran into was Kramisha.

She looked at them and said, "Oh, hey lovebirds," she smiled at her use of the word 'lovebirds' and then said, "Zoey's lookin' for you. She says we all need to get together and talk about this crazy plan to open up a new House of Night. So lets go. We're all meeting in the main tunnel. Oh you can come to Rephaim."

The three of them wandered along the empty winding tunnels until they reached the main one, with a high ceiling. Zoey, along with Stark, Damien, the Twins, Darius, Aphrodite, and the good Red Fledglings were all sitting around. The fledglings had gathered an array of mismatched chairs, which they had thrown together in a circle. Each of them had claimed a chair and there were a few empty ones.

Stevie Rae led Rephaim over to a pair of mismatching blue chairs. They sat down and waited for something to happen.

**Zoey**

"So we all agree that living at the House of Night right now isn't an option. Neferet has everyone eating out of the palm of her hands."

"Not only that, but her little charade has made you, and all of us look like a bunch of miscreants who have turned on Nyx." Damien still sounded incredibly sad. Who could blame him though? He had lost the love of his life, and then he had lost his home, all because of Neferet. But he still had us, and as long as we all stuck together, I had a feeling that we would be able to uncover Neferet and her nefarious deeds.

I looked over at him. "Well, Damien, we will uncover Neferet. Now we have another reason to hate her."

We all sat in silence for a moment. The silence was to acknowledge the murder of Jack. I still couldn't believe he was gone. Jack was probably the most adorable person on the face of the planet. Neferet slaughtered him in cold-blood, all for selfish reason. I hated her now more than ever, and everyone else did too. This made exposing her even more important. Of course, Neferet's web of lies was so tightly woven and flawless, that I didn't see how we would be able to destroy hit without time and proper planning.

"We need to knock that pretentious bitch off her high horse. I think that Z's little rebellious stunt will be able to do it. If we can actually manage to start our own House of Night. But honestly who would come here? It's really nasty down here. I bet it will take a couple months of remodeling. But there is only so much that a gold card can do."

"Well then you better get started," said Erin.

"Only don't touch our room without our approval. Your sense of style is questionable at best," added Shaunee.

Aphrodite scowled at the Twins. "You're just jealous because you're Gap and I'm Couture. "

"Remodeling aside," said Damien, waving his hand to dismiss the quarrel, "we need to figure out what we're going to do."

"Well for now, I think we should just lie low for a little bit. Neferet's not a very good actress, and I'll bet that she's pretty pissed off that we got away from her again," I said.

"Thanks for pointing out the obvious, Zoey. We all needed that." Aphrodite sighed. "What we really need to do is figure something out. I'll remodel while we are lying low. Damien can do some research about what it takes to start a school, I guess the Twins can help me, and Zoey, just try not to do anything that will get you killed."

We all laughed softly. I can tell that the Twins are annoyed with Aphrodite's bossy takeover. Damien was just glad to have something to do so he can be distracted every so often, and me; well unfortunately, I have to agree that I need to lie low, because Neferet probably really does want to kill me. Oh Goddess, how did I always manage to get myself into these messes.

I look around d the tunnels. I guessed that Aphrodite would need more help than the Twins to pull off an _Extreme Makeover Tunnel Edition, _but whatever. I knew that I would be helping, because I definitely needed something to do while I was lying low and while Stark could help out with that, I couldn't just spend the next few weeks sleeping around. I mean I am definitely not a nasty ho. Even Aphrodite isn't. My stomach clenched. I thought of the first time I had seen Aphrodite with Erik. She was nasty sometimes, but I really didn't think that she was a ho.

"I guess I'll try not to die," I say, frowning at Aphrodite. "There's no way that I want to screw with Neferet right now. She is totally psycho."

"Thanks again, Captain Obvious," said Aphrodite with a winning smile. "Well, Darius and I have a lot of unpacking to do. A girl can only get so much done in a day, and this _Extreme Makeover Tunnel Edition _is going to take a lot of days. Probably even months." Aphrodite got up, and held out one of her perfectly manicured hands, which Darius took immediately. Then he smiled at each of us, and followed Aphrodite to the room that they were going to share.

"Well we all know what sort of unpacking she's going to do," said Shaunee, laughing.

Erin shot her a devious little grin. "I have to admit that I'm a little bit jealous. I wish that we were lucky enough to have some hot guys with us."

"There is always the Red Fledglings," replied Shaunee.

The couple of Red Fledglings caught the Twins eyes. They all laughed and ran off together.

I was left alone with Damien, Stark, Rephaim and Stevie Rae, and a couple of the other Red Fledglings. But the Red Fledglings, along with Kramisha, didn't stay long. They all left the big tunnel for their own rooms.

Stevie Rae and Rephaim stood up. Stevie Rae shot me a smile. "Well, Zoey, I guess Rephaim and I will leave you and Stark alone. See you guys later." They left for their room too.

Damien stood up "I guess I'll go start looking up some stuff about starting up a House of Night. Thank Goddess I have my Sociology book." Damien smiled and then he left.

Stark put his arm around me. "Zoey, how but we spend some quality time together. You know you want to."

I smiled. If anything could distract me from my troubles, it was alone time with Stark. "Let's go," I said. Then I kissed him right on the lips. We both laughed and ran towards our room hand in hand.

**Rephaim**

"Okay, tell me what is on your mind. I know you are still upset about your daddy. But we really need to talk about it. If we are going to be in a relationship we need to be honest with each other. You know you can tell me anything."

Rephaim was sitting next to Stevie Rae on the bed. He felt terrible. They had only really been together for a day and she had already upset her. Rephaim knew that he would need to start being honest, but it was difficult. He was not good at being honest. His father hadn't given him the gift of honest. Rephaim had become a master of manipulation. He could most definitely bring on fear. However, honesty was a foreign skill to him. He looked at Stevie Rae and saw the hurt in her eyes. He couldn't bear it. So he decided that even though he might upset her more, he would be honest with her. "Promise me that you would be angry with me if I tell you what is on my mind."

Stevie Rae smiled and scooted closer to him. He could feel the warmth radiating from her soft skin. It filled him with confidence and her words also helped him. "Rephaim, I love you. You can tell me anything, and honestly, nothing is worse than lies. I have come close to losing so much because of dishonesty. I don't want the same thing to happen to you. Yu have to start acting right now Rephaim. I know it's not easy, but you have me to help you. Take the first step, and be the guy I know you can be."

Stevie Rae's speech reminded him so much of what he had told her father. He had complied, and Rephaim would as well. "I just wish Zoey Redbird had accepted my father. Things would be so much easier if she had accepted him."

Stevie Rae pulled away from him. "You can't be serious. Your daddy doesn't love Zoey. He's also really, really evil. Besides, why would Zoey be with someone who doesn't really love her."

"My father knew that he wanted to be with Zoey the moment he saw her on his resurrection day. He has spoken of her often. He thinks of her often. He wanted her to accept him."

"Wanting someone isn't the same as loving someone," said Stevie Rae wisely. "Before I say what is also on my mind, I need you to promise that you won't be upset with me. I don't like to see you in pain and I definitely don't want to be the one to cause that pain."

Rephaim brought his hand up and traced the scarlet tattoos that framed Stevie Rae's eyes. The flowers were beautiful, just as Stevie Rae was beautiful. His hand cupped her chin in a tender caress. His lips brushed hers. It felt so good to kiss her. He couldn't be upset with her. He was sure of this. However, he had a feeling that this conversation would continue to be about his father and his flaws. Rephaim wondered if he could bear to listen to Stevie Rae trash his father. He sighed and decided that he would have to. "Tell me whatever you wish, Stevie Rae."

"I don't think that your daddy's capable of love. Zoey's my best friend. I want her to be with someone who she loves, and who she loves in return. Your daddy doesn't love her. I don't even know if he can."

"My father doesn't believe in love anymore, but he seemed to believe that he could love her. He always said how much he reminded her of Nyx and of A-ya."

"Zoey reminds Kalona of Nyx? But he fell from Nyx. Why would he want to be with someone who is a constant reminder of what he lost? It must be hard. I can't imagine the pain of falling from Nyx's Realm."

"He believes that one day, Zoey could prove to be Nyx's reincarnate. Your friend is very powerful."

"Is power all that matters to your daddy, because there are so many great things that can come from a relationship? If he only wants Zoey because of her affinities, well than she will never accept him."

"It's not just her power. Zoey Redbird and my father are bonded. She is the modern reincarnation of A-ya."

**Stevie Rae**

A-ya. Stevie Rae recognized the name. She knew that it was because of A-ya that Zoey was so drawn to Kalona. But Nyx had given the gift of free will to all of her children. Kalona was as wrong as man boobs. He was morally bankrupt. He enjoyed hurting people just for the fun of it. Stevie Rae couldn't stand that the guy she loved was the son of such an evil jerk.

Sure, he was unnaturally gorgeous, but evil always was.

Anyway, Zoey might be the reincarnation of A-ya, but she had free will. She would always choose love and the Goddess. Still, Stevie Rae knew that she needed to make Rephaim understand that his father was broken beyond repair. Or at the very least, she had to see if Rephaim was serious about his father having some redeemable quality. After all, he had released Rephaim, and even though Stevie Rae hated admitting it, but she owed Kalona a lot.

Stevie Rae had always been someone to always try and do the right thing. If there was some way that Kalona could be helped, she owed it to Rephaim to help him out. Besides, Nyx would want her former Warrior to be helped, if that was at all possible.

"Zoey isn't really A-ya. Even though she knows she had a bond with your daddy, she is always going to pick Nyx. Just like you did. Besides, after everything your father did to you, why would you want him to be with Zoey? Why do you wish that Zoey had accepted him?"

"Stevie Rae, I have you. It was because I had you that I was able to choose the path of the Goddess. I chose love and Light because of you. Did it ever occur to any of you that Zoey could help my father do the same? He used to be devoted to the Goddess. What makes you think that things cant return to how they used to be?"

Stevie Rae heard the deep sorrow in his voice. She felt guilty for condemning his father. After all, Rephaim wasn't completely crazy. Kalona used to protect the Goddess. Maybe he could be made to serve her again. Still, the odds seemed pretty slim, and she couldn't help but express her concerns. "But you and your father are very different. You are part human. It wasn't your choice to be evil, you were born into it. Kalona made his choice to fall."

"He fell out of love. If love saved me, it can save my father. Stevie Rae, I want you to promise me something."

Stevie Rae hesitated before saying, "I don't know Rephaim. I think it depends on what it is."

"Please, Stevie Rae. I want you to at least try to do what I ask. It is very important to me."

Stevie Rae could hear the hurt in his voice. She didn't want to cause him any more pain. So all she could do was to agree to at least hear him out. She would have to decide what to do after he heard his request. "Fine, tell me."

"I want you to try and convince Zoey to give my father a chance. I know my father has disowned me, and even though it hurts, I know that what I gained from crossing my father is worth it. But I can't help but feel guilty. I want to help my father get what he desires, or at least get a chance to try."

What? This was crazy talk. Zoey would never give Kalona a chance. No. This was an impossible feat. "I can't promise you that."

"Please," he said with a tone of urgency, "at least mention it to her. It is of utmost importance."

"Why do you care so much for Kalona? He disowned you." That had come out wrong. Stevie Rae knew it as soon as it came out.

Rephaim looked down at his feet. "He is still my father," he said softly.

Stevie Rae suddenly threw her arms around him. "I'm sorry for what I said. I will at least mention it to Zoey. But I doubt that she will want to."

"All that matters is that you try," said Rephaim.

Despite her discomfort wit this entire messed up idea, Stevie Rae agreed. Then they sealed the agreement with a kiss.

**Kalona**

Kalona sat on the large bed of the penthouse he had created. His amber eyes were focused on the ebony of the ceiling. He was still thinking of Zoey Redbird's eyes. They reminded him so much of his beloved Goddess.

_Nyx. _The world exploded in his mind. He thought of his fall from her realm, of the weakness he felt, the weakness he vowed never to feel again. He thought of her last words to him. He had loved her too much. He had been obsessed with her.

Now his obsession took a new form.

Zoey Redbird. She was the perfect specimen. She was as beautiful as A-ya and she would be as powerful as the great Goddess herself.

Zoey Redbird. Her name, like music, swelled in his mind.

No. He mustn't torture himself with thoughts of the fledgling girl.

However, he couldn't help himself. The thick veil of ebony. He pictured running his hands through the mass of soft, flowing, tresses. Her flawless pale skin, as white and pure as a dove. The intricate etchings of sapphire that Marked her as one of Nyx's beloved children. The perfect curves of her body and the way he imagined how perfectly she could fit into his arms, how there bodies could become one in moments of passion. Her eyes, deep and endless as the sky. He pictured the way that her eyes would be filled with longing and even love.

Kalona's tongue slid over his dry lips as he continued to think of Zoey Redbird. His body tightened as he remembered the experience of vicariously making love to her.

Eventually, it all became too much. Kalona swung his legs over the edge of the bed. His feet brushed the soft nylon of the carpet. He pushed himself off of the bed and walked to the set of glass double doors that led to the roof of the penthouse. He flung one of them open with such force that for a moment he feared the door might shatter. However, it didn't. Kalona steeped onto the roof and looked up to the shining silver moon that hung in the dark night sky. These things did not draw his thoughts to the vampyre fledgling.

All he could think of was the glorious sensation of flight. His midnight ebony wings began to spread apart. I light breeze whistled through his plumes. The breeze caressed his skin and he felt some form of comfort. He tilted his head up to the midnight sky basked in the glorious silver light. A small smile crossed over his face. He flung his arms out and bared his chest to the moon. His body tightened. The sensation drove his thoughts to Zoey Redbird.

_No! _Kalona ordered himself to clear his mind of the young woman. He would soon be reunited with her, but for now he needed to purge his mind of her presence. His wings unfurled to full length. He bent his knees slightly, preparing to take off.

The wondrous sensation of flight could clear his mind of anything. The glorious freedom of the skies never failed to ease his mind.

He took off with such force that he thought he might have damaged the smooth surface of the rooftop. But he did not look down. His enormous wings pumped through the warm air, carrying him ten, twenty, fifty feet up.

The small forest and all that surrounded it lay below him like a map. The freedom is the closest thing he had felt to happiness for quite some time. His wings beat through the air.

Kalona dove down allowing the breeze to caress every inch of his body. His thick hair was tousled by the wind. The heat was more bearable down here.

After a few moments Kalona found himself flying above the Tulsa House of Night. Had he really flown that fast and far? It seemed unlikely. But he had been lost in the power of his flight. For a few wonderful moments, his head was clear of all significant thought.

But now that he was looking down at the old fashioned buildings of the House of Night, the thoughts reentered his mind. First came Neferet. He was close to her. But that did not matter She did not want him anymore, and he had never wanted her. Kalona allowed himself a smile at the prospect.

But then thoughts of Zoey reentered his mind. He was so close go her. He could go to her right now. However, the thought of Neferet convinced him to do otherwise. He would only go to Zoey in her dreams for now. Kalona had to get away from the temptation. He flew higher and headed back towards the penthouse.

He landed on the rooftop. Then he stomped back towards the bed. Zoey redbird. Why couldn't he rid his mind of her? Why did he constantly dwell on her? He did not like the fact that she made him _feel. _It was infuriating. He hated the fact that she had eluded him for so long but he would make everything right tonight. Or at least start to make everything right. Oh yes. He would woo her until she was putty in his hands.

All it would take was a dream; tonight's dream would be the spark that would light the fire of his plans.

His plans were ashes, after tonight, a fiery phoenix would be born again from them. A new plan would be born, and this time it would succeed. He only needed the spark. Kalona sat on the edge of the bed and propped his chin on his hands. He continued to stare out at the window and waited for the sun to appear, so he could visit Zoey in her dreams.

-/-

Hours passed and then the sun began to peek out over the horizon.

Kalona went out to the roof once again. He sat on the stone bench and looked out to the sunrise. The rose, scarlet, and gold of the sun filled the sky that was still pretty dark. Kalona waited a few moments before he started to think of Zoey Redbird.

Tendrils of his Darkness appeared. He closed his eyes and focused on the connection that would forever bind him to the young woman. He focused on his powers of Darkness, willed them to come to him. He felt the tendrils coil around his body. Then they began to emit a scarlet light, the color emitted from long burning coal. The connection burned in his mind. _Find Zoey Redbird. _He thought as he began to focus on the Realm of Dreams.

The connection was like a rope. Kalona followed it blindly through the darkness, thinking of only Zoey as he made his progress.

**Zoey**

_What the hell?_

I thought that for once I wouldn't have another vivid dream. I really wanted a peaceful night, free of drama. I had felt so peaceful lying in my bed with Stark's arms around me. I had fallen asleep to the sound of his deep soothing voice, as he whispered sweet nothing into my ears. He was so sweet and amazing. I couldn't help but feel happier than I had in weeks.

However, now I have to make myself aware of everything. So I started to take in the scenery.

I was not on the rooftop of the castle, the place where I had visited so often. No. This was a place of my own creation. I started to take in everything I could but there was so much of it.

I was in a grove. The emerald grass felt lush and wonderful against my bare feet. I could see crystal dewdrops hanging from almost each and every blade of grass. The grove was about fifty yards in diameter and a ring of every kind of tree imaginable surrounded it. Clumps of apple, orange, cherry, lemon and other kinds of lush fruit trees surrounded on half of the circumference. Large and perfect oak trees stood behind me. Tall evergreen pines were scattered between the oak and fruit trees. Inside the ring of trees were patches of gorgeous flowers of every kind. Ruby red roses, violets, lilies, daisy, tulips, and hundreds of other types of flowers that I couldn't even identify. The beauty was so incredible. I thought of the magic of Sgiach's Realm. I thought of the glorious sprites. I suddenly felt that there was magic in the air.

A slight breeze blew threw the lush trees and flowers. It was warm and comforting. The breeze swirled around me, wrapping me in a cocoon of enjoyable warmth. If I listened closely I could hear the clash of waves against the shore. There must be a beach nearby. I decided that if I ever returned to this place I would explore the shore. But for now, I was lost in the incredible beauty of the grove.

Of course, that peace was disturbed when I felt a really bizarre feeling. Someone was watching me. I pushed myself up into a sitting position. Then I started to look around for the intruder, hoping against hope that it is not who I think it is.

Footsteps. I heard footsteps coming towards me. I turned again and saw someone lurking in the shadows of two enormous oaks. I stood up quickly.

Then I went to the oak trees. "Who's there?" I asked, dreading whatever answer I was going to receive.

"I think you know who it is, Zoey." The voice is deep and dark. I recognized it instantly. My stomach clenched. I couldn't believe that he had entered my dreams.

"What are you doing here?" I asked. I tried to keep my voice from shaking.

Kalona stepped out of the shadows. "I think you know what I am doing her, Zoey."

"I don't know what you're talking about." I stepped back, but Kalona matched my movement with a step in my direction.

"I think you do," he said, his voice taking on a seductive quality that brings back old memories of past dreams. Kalona stepped towards me closed the distance that spirited us. His hands found mine, and I felt his icy heat shoot through my body. My heart started to pound with forbidden feelings. I had to get away. I had to wake up from this dream.

Kalona started to look me over. Most of my sapphire tattoos were showing. I could see that he was tracing the patterns with his amber eyes. Finally his eyes stop roaming. His gaze locks with mine.

I tried to look away, but I couldn't drive myself to do it. I started taking in every single detail and feature. Kalona stood over seven feet tall. He wore nothing but a pair of tight black jeans that hugged his perfect body. His chest his bare as usual, and his muscles are perfectly formed. I couldn't help myself. My eyes lingered on his perfect muscles for a moment. Then I moved up and took in the sight of his gorgeous black wings. They were as dark as ebony. But I could see hints of dark blue and violet within them. My eyes moved up his body His hair was still dark, thick and shaggy, but it was shaggy in a messy and cute way. It took all I had to stop myself from running my fingers through the ebony tresses.

I knew that I probably looked like and idiot as I examined every inch of him, but Kalona said nothing. He seemed to be enjoying the attention. My stomach clenched at the thought. I was giving him something that he wanted, but somehow it didn't seem to matter. All of my good sense was lost at the sight of him.

There was just so much to take in. But I finally decided to settle on his face. It is so perfect that it is nearly impossible to describe. I drank in the perfection of his sharp features and gorgeous amber eyes.

Before I could stop myself, I threw my arms around his neck.

He smiled down at me, and underneath the glint of false happiness I saw something darker. I tried to remind myself that Kalona was totally evil, and despite his gorgeous perfection, I remembered everything that he had done to me, including killing Heath and trying to kill Stark.

Anger boiled up inside of me. I pushed away from him. "Go away," I practically shouted. The birds stopped chirping. The wind stopped blowing. Kalona and I stood alone in the silence.

His expression changed. I could see the anger that started to fill his amber eyes. "Why do you push me away, Zoey?" Kalona tried to mask the anger, but his efforts proved to be transparent.

"You need to leave now," I said, desperately trying to sound stoic and reserved.

He saw through my charade.

"You don't want me to go away," he said. His voice took on a seductive tone. He pulls me back into his arms. "It had been way too long since we have met in the Realm of dreams. I have missed it."

Crap, crap, crap. Kalona started to become the guy that I wanted to be with. His ageless quality transformed him into a guy that looked to be about twenty. He was the perfect age for me. I could be with him. However, I still tried to push away from him. I knew that he really wasn't sweet and sensitive

Kalona gripped my hands tightly in his. "You have missed it to," he said in a conversational tone. "I haven't seen you since the day I released my son."

"You were killing Warriors out of cold-blood. I'm glad that you didn't notice me. I don't need you in my life."

Kalona only smiled at me. "Your denial of the truth only makes me want to prove to you how much you have missed me, A-ya."

The use of the Cherokee name cleared my head. I saw through Kalona's façade. "Get away from me," I screamed.

"No," he said. "I will have you, Zoey. One day you will be mine."

That pissed me off. I finally pushed him away. "Leave me alone. I'm leaving this place. Goodbye Kalona. I can't say that it was nice to see you." Then I focused all my energy on waking up.

I opened my eyes and then I saw Stark. He was smiling in his sleep. I was relieved to remember that the experience in the grove was just a dream.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: This is a short transition chapter.**

**Kalona**

The immortal was infuriated when he found himself cut off from Zoey's dreams. The insufferable girl had run away from him before he had gotten the chance to try and persuade her, to try and draw her to his side. It made his blood boil.

The grove of her own creation reminded him of Nyx's realm. Which only infuriated him more. The humiliation he had suffered because of Zoey Redbird paralleled the humiliation he had suffered when Nyx had banished him.

Kalona snarled softly. Zoey Redbird. Would the girl be his downfall? No. He wouldn't allow her to be the source of his defeat. No he would not be defeated by what he was doomed to possess.

The previous dream had proved to him that he would have to plan what he was going to say. He would have to choose his words carefully. After all, Zoey was so incredibly stubborn and unwilling to listen that she would probably only allow him to get a few words in anyway. Kalona knew the effect that words could have on mere mortals if used correctly. Kalona would have to use all his skills of manipulation to convince Zoey to at least give him a chance.

But what could he say to sway her to his side. What would persuade her to join him?

Kalona desperately wanted to try and find her in her dreams again this very night. He shouldn't risk being banished away though. He knew this. Still, the idea was incredibly tempting. Besides that, he had not gotten what he wanted from her. He had not even gotten a single kiss. She hadn't even given him the time to steal one from her lush red lips. Kalona would remedy that immediately.

His passions got the better of him and he abandoned all reasonable thinking.

**Zoey**

_What the hell am I doing back here?_

The grove was beautiful just as it had been only a few short hours ago. I had fallen back to sleep in Starks arms. The alarm clock on the nightstand flashed 11:00 A.M. and I was relieved that I still could get six or seven more hours of sleep.

However, I thought that these hours would not be haunted by any crazy dreams. I guess I wasn't that lucky. This time though, I decided to find the shore. It would be a nice change of scenery from landlocked Oklahoma.

I was still barefoot, but as I walked through the grove, the soft, spongy, grass felt good against my feet. I managed to navigate my way through the thick ring of trees solely by listening to the sound of waves crashing against a shore.

After about ten minutes I reached the beach. The sand was miraculously white. The water was the bluest, clearest water I had ever seen in my life. The sky was an equally beautiful shade of blue. Not that I have been to many beaches, since I lived in a landlocked state, but this beach was definitely more beautiful than anything I had seen in my limited beach going experience and any thing that I had seen in the movies. It struck me that dreams definitely could create way better things that the modern technology on a movie set. I laughed slightly, thinking that any film crew would love to be here on this beach right now to shoot some sappy, romantic love scene or something.

There was another slight warm breeze. It felt good on my bare skin. The beach was incredibly serene and I took several moments to enjoy walking along the shoreline, the clear water washing over my bare feet every so often.

Unfortunately my peaceful bliss was interrupted once again. How come I couldn't catch a break once in awhile?

I could feel his gaze burning into my back. "Wind come to me," I whispered, preparing to blast him out of my dreams once and for all. Then I turned and raised my palms towards him.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you, Zoey," he said. His voice was deep and dark. He took several steps toward me, his hand reaching out to grasp mine. I could feel the element leave me the moment he touched me. His icy heat replaced the presence of the element.

"What are you doing here, I thought I got rid of you for the night."

"You called me here. You forced me away too quickly. When in reality you wanted to hear what I had to say to you. You have missed me Zoey, and denying the truth isn't going to work. So I suggest you extinguish your will to fight me off. Hear me out."

"No, I don't want to hear anything you have to say." I tried to push away from him, but he held my wrists tightly. Then he pulled me in to his arms and his icy heat jolted through my body. I tried to ignore the wonderful sensation. "All you do is lie," I finally managed to stammer.

"Haven't I proved to you that I can be completely honest? I shared my past with you once before. You know that you can trust me to be honest."

"Only when it is in your best interest. You only use honesty to manipulate me. But I won't fall for it again. I don't need your truth. It won't change the fact that we will never be together."

"Have you ever considered that I come to you tonight not to manipulate you, but to earn your trust? Has it ever occurred to you that I accept you will never choose me over your beloved Stark?"

I didn't like the way he said Stark. Besides, he wasn't making any sense. If he wasn't coming her to grope me or something like he had done once before, then what was so important that he needed to invade my dreams? I couldn't help but wonder.

It was as if Kalona could read my mind. "Will you let me speak freely, Zoey?"

"Only if you let me go. Only if you don't touch me while you tell me. Because you are right about one thing. I will never choose you over Stark."

"Your Guardian means little to me. However, I daresay that if you keep an open mind as you listen to what I say you will be pleasantly surprised by what I came here to tell you." Then Kalona released me from his arms.

I stood there, frozen in place. Kalona stood before me, patiently awaiting an answer.


	6. Chapter 6

**Kalona**

The winged immortal used the precious moments of silence to begin to formulate a plan. First, he would woo her, make her believe that he had come to ho her with nothing but good intentions. Then he would ask her to be his. If she refused he would steal a kiss from her lips, and reawaken the spirit within that was created to love him. After that, Kalona felt confident that Zoey Redbird would fall willingly into his open arms. The plan was unconventional and overplayed; after all, it had failed before. However, Kalona was too overcome by a sort of passionate longing to think rationally about his situation. Yes, he had truly abandoned all reasonable thinking.

The perfection before him stood in silence. Her expression was as cold and hard as stone, guarded and suspicious. Kalona detested the suspicion that made her doubt his intentions, even if it was well supported. It was true that he wanted to possess her; he had known that from the moment he had laid eyes on her. She was too powerful to be an enemy, and too beautiful not to be his. True, his intentions to claim her by any means necessary were not honorable. But they were fueled by an ancient passion and desire that was so pure it could hardly be counted as evil. Kalona's heart longed for the reincarnation of A-ya, the representation of Nyx on earth. Both were a part of Zoey Redbird's soul. She had accepted the truth of this fact. Yet she had denied him time and time again. But he would not allow this to happen once again.

Kalona looked towards the silent statue that was Zoey Redbird, her flawless marble skin etched with sapphire designs was shining in the silvery moonlight that bathed the abandoned beach. He feet spread apart, planted in a defensive position. She would be ready to run at any instant. She would not meet his eyes directly for fear of swooning. Yes, Kalona knew the power he had over her, but she had done everything within her power to fight against him: to refuse his allure. It was infuriating to be sure. Kalona was not used to rejection. After all, he was supposed to be the embodiment of perfection: irresistible to all women. He knew very well that everyone he had ever encountered was stricken with his immortal beauty. He was little less than a god. Mortal, vampyre, and any other classification had never stood a chance against his charm.

With Zoey Redbird, her connection with him was much more that the attraction to physical beauty. An unbreakable chain of spirit connected them. While Zoey Redbird had accepted that bond, and accepted the draw, she had done everything to fight against it. Still, she had done nothing to attempt to sever the bond. Which made Kalona believe that he could use this against her. Yes, the young fledgling had a weakness for him, and Kalona intended to exploit it. But this time, he would not let failure stand in his way. He also did not have Neferet and her overbearing jealousy to come between them. Yes, this time around Kalona would get what he wanted, no matter how long it took, no matter what it cost him. He was not one to let obstacles stand in his way.

But here now, was one of the most prominent obstacles he had yet to face. Zoey had agreed to hear him out on one single condition. He could not touch her. This was an extreme disadvantage. He knew that when he held Zoey in his arms, when he caressed her that she became far easier to manipulate and to persuade. He'd had a lot of practice with women. He had taken each and every desirable woman back in his glory days. After Nyx and before A-ya. It retrospect it wouldn't have been that hard to draw Zoey to his side with a few strategic caresses. Alas, he could not touch her. Otherwise she would banish him from her dreams, and that couldn't happen.

Still, he couldn't help but take her hand, which she immediately shook off. "I'm serious," said Zoey. "Don't touch me. Otherwise you are so out of here."

"Very well, Zoey," said Kalona. He couldn't help but scowl at the fledgling that stood before him, she who had not only once, but many times, openly defied him. Under normal circumstances, this would have been intolerable. But Zoey Redbird was an exception. Somehow Kalona felt that he would be making many exceptions for her in the future, as he was determined to have a future with her. For she was the only one left on this earth that made him _feel. _

Still, he wasn't exactly sure what he would do, what he would say, to get her on his side once and for all. Perhaps it was time for honesty, but as far as his feelings were concerned, he didn't know what the truth was. After all, how could you be honest if you didn't even know what you were being honest about?

Now was not the time for self-doubt. He would just have to start talking, and keep talking, until he said something worthwhile. Kalona scowled at the sand beneath his feet. This would prove to be an unusual experience.

**Zoey**

Kalona stood before me, a perfect fallen angel. I still couldn't help staring at his godlike perfection. However, I had the truth on my side. I was not unarmed like in previous dreams. I knew that beneath that the flawless exterior housed something dark, evil, and twisted. Kalona's beauty was as much of a mask as Neferet's was. I also had my free will, and I had dominion over the part of my spirit that housed A-ya. I wouldn't fall for Kalona's charm and false pretenses. If he had some unknown truth to convey, then maybe he would prove to be worth speaking to. Still, curiosity killed the cat, and I sure didn't want to be a dead cat (eesh). However I had an escape plan. If he tried to touch me, I was so going to wake up.

Still, the fact that he wasn't trying to grope me this vey second was pretty impressive. "What do you want?" I managed to ask for what felt to be like the billionth time.

"I want you, of course," he said simply, sounding like a broken record.

I tried to think of how many times he had said that, or some variation of the phrase. There were quite a few. However, in the past it had never worked, but now was not the time to dwell on the past. I had to focus. "Well, you can't have me," I said

"Why not?"

I ignored the question. "Hey, you said that you didn't come here tonight to try and manipulate me. You said you had accepted the fact that I will never choose you over Stark."

Kalona smiled, laughter was reflected in those gorgeous amber eyes of his. "I keep forgetting how amusing mortal women can be, how they always take everything so seriously. They never realize that what people say and what they mean are two entirely different things."

This just pissed me off. "Well, if you are just going to laugh at me, I see no sense in continuing this dream."

At that remark, the laughter drained out of his eyes. "No. Don't leave. I didn't come here to laugh at you," he said, sounding so sincere that I almost believed him. Almost, but not quite.

"No," I snapped back. "You came here to try and manipulate me, but it wont work." I instantly became aware of how pathetic and self-centered my words sounded as soon as they came out of my mouth. "Look, if you have something significant to say, how about you actually tell me so I can get some sleep. These dreams aren't pleasant you know."

Kalona flashed me a gorgeous but impish grin. His amber eyes flashed mischievously. "They could be pleasant, Zoey. They could be whatever you wanted them to be."

I rolled my eyes, hating how totally cocky he sounded. "I'd rather be dreaming of Stark. He's the guy I actually want."

My comment stung like a whip. At that remark something flashed across Kalona's perfect face. Jealousy? No way. _Kalona loves Nyx, not me. He has no reason to be jealous of Stark. _I repeated the mantra in my head a few times. It gave me strength and courage of conviction. "Like I said, I'd rather be here with Stark. So if you aren't going to say anything, I'm leaving." I started to turn away but he seized my hand. I turned back and scowled at him, (eesh I was grumpy in my dreams.)

"Fine," he said, still not letting go of my hand. "I came here to ask for a chance. A chance to be the being I could be with you by my side."

I couldn't believe what he had just said to me. There was no way in hell that he had just said it. "I'm never going to choose you," I said as I tried to break his grip on me, but he was holding on too tight. "How many times do I have to tell you for you to understand,"

Kalona's laugh was dark and melodious. "Why do you fight so hard to resist what your soul clearly wants." He maintained a firm grip on my hand. Then, totally disregarding the condition I had given him he snaked his other arm around my waist. His enormous hand slid down my body and he pulled me in close to him. His arms became the bars of a jail cell. He bent down and his lips brushed against my cheek before he whispered, "Come on, A-ya, and give in to me. Stop fighting it."

"I'm not really A-ya, at least not the one you knew. I am the modern reincarnation of A-ya. I have my free will, and I will never turn my back on Nyx." Then I sounded like a broken record, because I clearly remembered saying these words before.

Kalona only laughed again. Then his lips found my neck, and he started kissing it over and over again. I had to try and keep myself from swooning, 'cause as he kissed my neck the hand that was not holding mine was now cupping my butt. He pulled me in closer until I was pressed against his firm, muscled body. Then his other hand released mine and went straight to my breast. His lips found mine and we were instantly doing a reenactment of one of those steamy love scenes from a cheesy chick flick, if we had been in a building with windows, they would have fogged up, just like they did in _Titanic._

Before I knew it we were on the ground. The sand was rough on my practically naked body. Kalona was on top of me and he had started to kiss and caress every inch of my body.

A shot of forbidden desire jolted through my body. I suddenly couldn't move. I was trapped in the arms of the powerful winged immortal.

After moments of intense pleasure, Kalona swept on of his hands underneath my camisole. The forbidden touch suddenly made me aware of the fact that this was totally wrong. Maybe it was because of how wrong the whole Kalona-Trying-To-Grope-Me-In-My-Dreams- thing was. How could something so sick and wrong feel so right?

The tank top was half way off my body and it suddenly clicked. I couldn't do this. Kalona had broken his our vague agreement. Oh Goddess, he was trying to do it with me, on a beach! This was wrong, so totally wrong (not to mention totally cliché). "Fire, come to me," I said so softly that I could barely hear myself. I could feel an intense heat enter my palms. I pressed them against his bare chest and he cried out in agony. Then he rolled off of me. His night colored wings spread wide, contrasted heavily with the gleaming white sand. His chest was rising and falling rapidly. I got up and quickly pulled down my top.

It didn't take too long for Kalona to leap onto his feet. His face was twisted with incredible anger. One of his hands shot out a grasped my wrist. He held it with such force that I was afraid he might break it. His icy heat penetrated my skin. "Fire, help me, please, " I whispered frantically, but the element had faded away.

Kalona's dark rage quaked through me like an intense tremor. "Why did you stop me?" he roared. I could practically feel the ground shaking beneath my feet. I would have fallen over if Kalona's grip on me weren't so tight. "How dare you use the elements on me. How dare you fight against me, especially when this is what you have wanted all along." His lips pressed against mine, and an incredible shot of intoxicating and fiery adrenaline shot through my entire body. My soul cried out for him. I thought I had previously extinguished my burning desire long ago. If that was the case, Kalona had just awakened it once again.

What was worse is that he knew he had and he was going to take advantage of it. He kissed me again and again and again. I tried to fight him off with all my strength, but every time he kissed me my mind got dizzy with a strange and forbidden euphoria. I was powerless to resist his deadly passion.

An eternity of being with him wouldn't be enough. It could never be enough. I wanted to melt away in his arms. I wanted to be with him forever. My soul yearned for him, and part of me that wasn't A-ya also yearned for him.

The part of me that knew how sick and twisted he was, the part that was fully committed to Stark tried to protest. But they were lost, wiped out by the intoxicating euphoria.

It was all too much, my spirit was ripping me apart from the inside, and the only one who could fix it at the moment was Kalona. I leaned further into him and for one moment I stopped resisting him. I heard him whisper "Yes, Zoey, yes," he said as his lips found mine once more.

The moment of my surrender triggered a voice deep within my soul. I recognized the calm voice of A-ya, the beautiful Cherokee maiden who was a part of me. _Zoey, it is true that part of your spirit will always be bonded with Kalona. But you do not need to give into him like this. Not in this way. Resist!_

Oh Goddess, she was right. But there was just so much of Kalona. He was so incredibly powerful, and he was holding me with an iron grip.

_Zoey, my daughter, remember your fee will. I have given you the tolls you need to resist my fallen Warrior. Do not be afraid to use them. _

I was suddenly reminded that I wasn't alone; I had two powerful women on my side, women that had trapped Kalona, women who had seen through his Darkness. The spirits of these women filled me with an undeniable strength.

Against all odds I broke his grip and forced him off of me. He fell to the ground, his gorgeous face contorted with rage. "Zoey," he cried, "I only wanted to come to you for a second chance. I wanted you to help me change for the better. Only you can do that."

"Stop lying to me Kalona," I cried. "I have the Goddess on my side. I will always choose love over hate. Light over Darkness. Nothing you can do will ever change my mind."

"What If I changed for you. What if I chose Nyx? I could do it, Zoey," he sounded desperate as his rage melted away.

However, I knew that it was all a ruse. He was trying to manipulate me. "I don't think that's possible. Goodbye Kalona."

Then I took off and ran. I could feel the Goddess guiding me. I dove into the clear blue ocean. Before I did though, I heard Kalona's agonized cry. "Don't leave me, Zoey!"

**Kalona**

Pathetic. That's what he was. Pathetic, weak, moronic. These words and others flashed through his mind. Kalona stood alone on the rooftop of his penthouse. The sun hung high in the sky. The sky was a flawless shade of blue.

Kalona turned and stomped back into the penthouse. His hands were clenched in tight fists at his side. He should have taken Zoey then and there, when he that the opportunity. He should have taken what he deserved. But he had spent too much time with foreplay. Even then, he had practically forced her to get intimate with him.

Kalona's blood boiled. His seduction had failed. She had rejected him again. She had made him weak, pathetic, and vulnerable. She would pay for that later. But despite his incredible anger towards the impudent young fledgling he still needed to possess her. Especially now. Now more than ever.

But how would he do it?

Kalona suddenly thought of his son.

Yes, he had betrayed him for love and the foolish Goddess. Still, Perhaps Rephaim could prove to be of some use to him. If he was used correctly. After all, he knew his son. He knew that his loyalty hadn't died out when he pledged his love for the Red Vampyre High Priestess.

Kalona would have to call Rephaim to him. Yes. He would use Rephaim to somehow get to Zoey.

Kalona sat down on his bed, closed his eyes, and thought of his son. _Rephaim, my son, by our bonds of Darkness come to me. Answer my call, my son._

The words erupted from his mind so clearly that he could have spoken them.

Kalona heaved a heavy sigh and awaited the arrival of his once favorite, now renounced, son.

**Stevie Rae**

Stevie Rae pushed back the lavender curtain from Crate & Barrel that divided Zoey's room from one of the side hallways of the tunnels. "Hey, Z, can I talk to you for a sec?"

Zoey looked up from the book she was reading, _Twilight _by Stephanie Meyer. "Yeah, of course, come sit over here."

Stevie Rae walked over and sat by her best friend. "Why are you reading that book? You know it make vamps seem like beautiful sparkly morons."

Zoey smiled. "I wanted a laugh. It's really kind of funny. Its about a vamp and a human who totally fall in love."

"Yeah, I know, the Red Fledglings and I rented it one time and practically laughed our butts off. All the vamps are pretty boys, but I don't think any of them are actually vampyres. It's a shame. One of them was really cute, Jasper."

"I like Emmet, he's just funny," said Zoey. They both erupted in a fit of giggles over how ridiculous the book was. Vamps were presented in such a weird way. Zoey set down the book. "So, what do you want to talk about?"

Stevie Rae looked down at her feet as she pondered how she would ask this ridiculous favor. Rephaim must've been out of his mind to ask her to do this. There was no way that Zoey would ever agree to this, and Stevie Rae didn't blame her one bit. Kalona was totally screwed up. How could she ask her best friend to give their enemy a second chance? It was crazier than Bella wanting to turn into a vamp for her boyfriend.

"You are going to think I'm totally insane for asking you to do this," admitted Stevie Rae. "Heck, I think it's pretty insane too. But I still need to ask."

"Are you going to ask me to go shopping with Aphrodite? She won't want me along. I'll probably just slow her down. Besides, she'd rather go with Darius. He's super hot and he can carry heavy loads."

They both laughed. The thought of shopping with Aphrodite was ridiculous. They would have to submit themselves to a twelve-hour day of running around, while Aphrodite swiped her mother's gold card through various registers at several different department stores. Plus, twelve hours straight with Aphrodite didn't sound fun at all. But the hilarity of the joke passed.

"Nope, you don't need to shop. Aphrodite's making the _Extreme Makeover: Tunnel Edition _a one-woman show. Just the way she like's it to be. No. I need to ask you for something, a favor. Rephaim wanted me to."

Zoey gave her an odd look. "What could Rephaim possibly want from me that he can't get from you?"

"Well, it's involving you. I won't blame you if you don't want to do it."

"Well, tell me what it is, and I'll consider it. You're my best friend and if I can do something to help you and your crazy complicated relationship I will."

"Oh Z, I love you like white bread," Stevie Rae flashed her BFF a genuinely brilliant smile. "Okay, so Rephaim is still feeling pretty guilty and weird about the whole Kalona thing."

"Kalona?" Zoey uttered the name with a slightly shaky voice. She looked away from Stevie Rae.

"Yeah, and he really needs a favor from you. He, um, he wants you to give his daddy a second chance."

**Zoey**

"What?" I asked, hardly believing what I had just heard.

Crap! Crap! Crap! What the heck was up with this bizarre favor anyway? Why would Rephaim want me to give Kalona another chance? After All, Rephaim had chosen the Goddess over Kalona. He had chosen love with Stevie Rae over loyalty to his father. Why would Rephaim – and then it hit her.

There was a reason that Kalona had allowed his son to cross him. Kalona never did anything unless it benefitted him. Was this the reason? Was Kalona planning to use Rephaim to get to me? WTF! That was messed up. However, the only way I would discover the truth was if I acted like I would give Kalona a second chanced. Even though I knew that I probably never would. Kalona had to earn a second chance, just as he needed to earn Nyx's forgiveness.

"Why would I do that?"

"Look, Z, I know its crazy, I never would have asked, because honestly, everything about Kalona just seems plain wrong. But Rephaim made me promise to ask. Besides, even though it's really weird to admit, Kalona is the father of the guy I am Imprinted with. If he thinks there is some kind of hope for Kalona then isn't it the right thing to at least try and help him?"

"I don't know," I admitted. "But Kalona is really screwed up. He has been evil for centuries. Darkness has consumed him. I just don't know if there's hope. Oh Goddess, what should we do?"

"I don't know," admitted Stevie Rae, "But I can't help feeling that you should at least consider giving him a second chance. Well, you should at least see if there is any kind of chance. Nyx would want us to do that wouldn't she?"

"I don't know. Maybe we should ask her. We could cast a circle. But first I think we should ask everyone else what they think about this favor? Agreed?"

"Sure, I think that's a really good idea. Nyx will tell us what to do,"

We smiled at each other. I tried to put aside thoughts of Rephaim's bizarre request. But I really couldn't because just a moment later, he came in, running for Stevie Rae.

**Rephaim**

_Rephaim, my son, by our bonds of Darkness come to me. Answer my call, my son._

Kalona's voice exploded inside Rephaim's head. What on earth did his father want with him? Kalona had denounced him as his son. Rephaim had clearly chosen Stevie Rae and the Goddess over his father. Even though it had hurt him to do so. He had made the right choice. It would have hurt him a lot more if he had given up Stevie Rae. Still, after the betrayal, he never imagined that his father would ever want anything to do with him. However, here he was calling to him. How could he answer the call? But then again, how could he deny it.

He couldn't deny it. But he couldn't answer it. He couldn't go to his father without asking Stevie Rae first.

His bare feet pounded against the cold, hard, stone of the tunnel floors. He headed for the room that Zoey Redbird had been sharing with her Guardian. He found Stevie Rae sitting next to the girl who could fix everything with his father. He called out her name and she turned. He barely heard her response. She rose from the bed and walked over to stand by his side. He eyed Zoey Redbird. "If you will excuse us, Priestess. I wish to have a word with Stevie Rae.

"Sure," said Zoey. Then she picked up her book and said goodbye to Stevie Rae.

Rephaim slipped her his hand in hers and pulled her out into the empty hallway.

"Rephaim, what is this all about?" she asked. Stevie Rae sounded worried.

Rephaim brushed his lips across her forehead and said "I need to speak with you alone. No one can know about what I have to tell you, at least not now."

"I hate secrets. They do nothing but hurt people, Rephaim."

"It won't be a secret for long, Stevie Rae. But if the others know about this they will never, ever trust me. I know your friends are important to you; I do not want to do anything that would hurt you, or your relationship with your friends. Now come on." He dragged her along a dark passageway. They turned a few corners and finally wound up in a dead end.

"Rephaim, stop," said Stevie Rae, her voice was shaky. Her eyes were filled with hurt. "What is this all about?"

"My father. He has called me back to him."

"What? That's just crazy. Why?" Now Stevie Rae sounded worried.

"I do not know. I never expected this to happen."

"Well, you know what you have to do," said Stevie Rae, giving him a serious look. Her face, for once, was without a smile.

"What," asked Rephaim, his voice hollow.

"You have to find out what he wants, and if he wants to hurt anyone you have to find a way to stop him. It's the right thing to do. Go find out what he wants and come back."

"Are you sure It could be very dangerous. He could keep us apart."

"He won't if he wants to use you to get to Zoey. Rephaim, you chose the Goddess, and now you need to do the right thing. You need to protect those you love."

"Fine, I will protect you."

"I know you will, but this isn't just about me. It is about everyone who is on Nyx's side. Evil wins when the good folks don't stick together." Then she leaned in and kissed Rephaim for luck. "Go now, be careful. I'll see you soon, and if you don't come back to me I will come and find you. You are one of us now, and my friends and I always stick together and protect each other."

"I will do as you say. I will be back soon." Then he released Stevie Rae from the circle of his arms.

As he turned and walked away from Stevie Rae and headed for the exit he remembered something. He could not fly at night. How would he find his father?

A few moments later Rephaim climbed an iron ladder that led to the outside world. Rephaim stepped into the cool Oklahoma air. Tulsa's downtown was bathed in shadow. The moon was rounding full above him, hanging in the inky sky.

Rephaim was nervous. He had no idea where his father was, and he had a feeling that he only had a few hours until sunrise, when he would turn back into a raven.

"Father," he said into the night air. "I need you. I can't get to you on my own."

Rephaim flung his head back and stared at the full silver moon as if he could drink in its light, as if it could give him energy to face the man he was about to see once more: the man who had fathered him, but had never actually been a real father.

Then he dropped from the sky. He was magnificent in his glory. Out of old habits Rephaim dropped to his knees before his mighty immortal father in a pose of supplication. A pose of utter surrender.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: This is a short transition chapter. Also, if you love Zoey to end up with Stark, please read the author's note at the end of the chapter. Read, relax and review! Happy Reading!**

**Rephaim**

"You are a human," breathed Kalona into the night air, sounding utterly mystified.

"Only when the sun is down," answered Rephaim, not daring to look up at his father. He kept his eyes glued to the blackness of the pavement underfoot. "Then I turn back into a raven."

"Then we haven't much time," said Kalona, who seized his hand and pulled him to his feet. "You are to come with me." Kalona's arm fastened tightly around his son, massive wings unfurled. The pair took off into the night: a son with no hope of challenging his father.

The flight was quick. Within moments Kalona's feet touched the rooftop of his penthouse. Rephaim fell to his knees once more, not daring to look up at his father.

Still, Rephaim could feel his father's gaze, burning into his back. "Why do you not look at me, my son?" asked Kalona sounding completely nonchalant.

"We are not on the same side anymore, father. I betrayed you, and you disowned me." Rephaim tried to hide the guilt he was feeling, but now he could practically feel his father's dark smile.

"Nonsense. I may have disowned you, but have you forgotten that what is said and what is meant is separate? If so, then your humanity has truly gotten the best of you. I need you now, my son; you can assuage your guilt by helping me out. You may still serve your father. Now arise and face me, my son."

Rephaim could not help himself. Old habits die hard after all. He3 could not deny that he still felt somewhat loyal to Kalona. He rose to his feet and met his father's eyes. "I serve the Goddess now. While it is true that I feel guilt for crossing you, I will not cross Stevie Rae, her friends or the Goddess. I have changed father. I do not understand why you have brought me here."

"Stevie Rae, the Red Vampyre High Priestess. Rephaim, I would not have you cross her. No. She would be a powerful ally. Besides, it is thanks to her that I am free from my prison. Her blood released me. No. I do not ask you to betray the woman you love." Kalona practically spat out the word love, as if it was a venomous poison.

"Then why did you call me here?" asked Rephaim.

"I want you to persuade Zoey Redbird to be mine," said Kalona.

Rephaim just stared at his father for a moment. He should have seen this coming, hadn't he just tried to do the very thing to soothe his own guilt. Hadn't he just begged Stevie Rae to attempt to convince her greatest friend to give his father a chance? Now Kalona was issuing it as an order. Despite the fact that Rephaim was no longer loyal to his father, he still felt compelled to obey.

_Rephaim._

He heard the whisper of his name and looked up towards the moon. He heard the whisper again and looked back don. Out of the corner of his eye he could see the little blond child when he now knew was a manifestation of the Goddess. He shifted his eyes so they could meet the eyes of Nyx in her most innocent form.

_You cannot compromise the free will of others. He is your father, and it is your choice if you want to listen to him. But you cannot take away the free will of others. Tread carefully, Rephaim. Use love and Light as your guide._

The child winked, laughed, and danced off into the night. Rephaim was sure that his father had not seen her, for he was staring directly at him.

"You ask the impossible of me, father," said Rephaim, trying to maintain an even and steady tone of voice. However, he could not conceal the shaking. "Zoey Redbird will not give you another chance. She loves her Goddess to much, and you are everything that the Goddess stands against." Rephaim knew that he would pay for his insolence.

However, Kalona did not make a move to strike out against him. He simply stood there, seemingly calm. "Why do you say that, my son? You may think you know her greatest ally, but you do not know Zoey Redbird as I do."

Rephaim was not going to admit what he had asked of Stevie Rae, it would only make his father believe that Rephaim was still loyal to him, which he wasn't . . . not really anyway. So he decided to play dumb. "It is true, I do not know Zoey Redbird as you do. But I am beginning to learn about Light and love and Nyx. I do not believe that a High Priestess of Nyx would throw that all away to be with a being who once openly betrayed the Goddess."

Kalona's eyes narrowed. He tried to mask his anger, but Rephaim knew his father like the night sky. He knew that he had made a mistake. He knew that his father would make him pay for what he had just said.

However, Kalona's tone remained even. "Zoey Redbird just needs the persuasion of her friends. You, Rephaim, know better than anyone why I want Zoey to be mine. You know the possibilities, and you know also what is at stake."

Yes. Rephaim did know what his father wanted to possess Zoey. However, Stevie Rae had taught him that possessing someone was not the same as loving them. Love was pure. A longing to possess came from Darkness. "She will not choose you, and I do not have the power to convince her otherwise."

"Then use your influence on the girl, surely one High priestess can convince another to do something."

"Father, it will not work. I know this."

"You know nothing," shouted Kalona. "I must make Zoey Redbird mine."

"Why?" the question exploded from Rephaim, who quite frankly was getting tired of the discussion. He just wanted to go, but not before he made some kind of point to his father. Was the Goddess willing him to do this? Was she putting words into his mouth? "Why do you want someone who is so pure of spirit, so dedicated to her Goddess, the Goddess you openly betrayed? The one you have opposed for centuries."

"I do not need to explain myself to you, Rephaim," said Kalona angrily.

Rephaim knew now that the Goddess was watching over him and that somehow she was telling him what to say. He knew that she would protect him from his father's wrath. "You need to explain yourself if you want my help. If you want to pursue love your intentions must be honorable. If you desire forgiveness you must be deserving of it." Yes. Rephaim could feel Nyx beside him, even though he could not see her, he could feel her strength flowing through him. He knew that it was because of Nyx that his father wasn't striking out against him now. Surely he must feel her too.

Maybe that is what he finally revealed his true intentions.

**Kalona**

Kalona could feel Nyx's presence all around him. So it was true. His son had actually chosen Nyx over him. He never would have believed it. Yes, he had given him permission to do so, and Rephaim and openly made his choice in front of a crowd of witnesses, but Kalona could see no that his son was now truly devoted to Nyx.

The proof was standing before him. Rephaim, his Raven Mocker son, was human. Nyx was obviously at work here. Would she use his own son to work against him? Would Rephaim truly betray him to serve the Goddess?

Kalona cringed at the thought of revealing his true intentions to his son and the Goddess. For he was certain that she was viewing this exchange. If Nyx was behind his son's behavior then he had no choice but to reveal his true intentions. However, he knew very well that they were not honorable. Zoey Redbird had said that again and again. He also knew he wasn't deserving of forgiveness. He wasn't sure if he ever would be. But as much as he hated to admit it, he could not get to Zoey on his own, and Rephaim was the only one who was in a position to help him.

He cursed the Goddess. His son never would have acted in this manner if not for her.

"Well, father, do you want my help or not?" The question hung in the air, unanswered for several long moments.

"Yes," he said, testing the word, and immediately not licking the sound of it. In one single word he had revealed how weak he had become. Never had he actually needed help on a conquest for a woman. It was absolutely shameful.

"Well let's see if you deserve it," said Rephaim.

The comment made Kalona angry. "You have no right to tell me what I do and do not deserve. I am your father. You are my son. I deserve your respect."

"I respect you, father, but we are no longer on the same side. You disowned me and I chose love. Love, Father, is something that you have stopped believing in. You never loved me as a father. Maybe you could have in another time, another place. But in this time, and this place, I have chosen the Goddess and you have chosen Darkness."

Kalona glowered at his son. "How dare you flaunt your choices as if you are better than I am? You only chose the Goddess recently, after centuries of serving Darkness. You, my son, are no better than I am. For I too once served the Goddess that you have pledged your loyalty to."

"That may be true, but now you have turned away from Nyx. Meanwhile, I have just accepted her. We are on opposite ends of the spectrum father. What you want from me is something that goes against all that the Goddess stands for. You want me to manipulate someone's free will. I can't do it. But if you have honorable intentions, which I suspect you don't, then I might be able to find some way to help you, but if not, then I really can't do anything. I have a lifetime of evil to make up for, and I will not help you do anything evil. No matter how guilty I might feel. I chose love, father."

"Rephaim, your humanity has taken control. You are slowly becoming a fool for the Goddess. Still, I do need you, and I shall tolerate your rebellious behavior."

"You disowned me. I have no binding loyalty to you."

"Let us put the past behind. Even though I gave you the gift of choice; I still view you as my son. For I know the value of public appearance. What I do before witnesses and what I do in private are entirely separate things. Now, I want you to make Zoey Redbird agree to come to me."

"I cannot force her to do anything. That would impede on her free will. Besides, you have a bond with the young woman. Why not just go into her dreams and try and persuade her yourself?"

"Would I be asking you to do this for me if I hadn't already tried any obvious alternatives. Would I openly confess my failures if I was not desperate?" Kalona hated feeling this desperate and vulnerable. However, at least it was his son, and not Zoey who was making him feel like this. Kalona looked at his son and tried to hide away the weakness he felt. However, his son was looking at him in such a way that suggested he knew everything about his weakness.

"Truth be told, father, I have already asked my High Priestess to convince Zoey Redbird to give you a second chance. You have thought about her and spoken of her often enough since you were released to make me, and all of my brothers, realize how much you wanted her. How much you needed her. We would have all bent over backwards to serve you. We would have risked anything to deliver her to you. But look around. My brothers have fled or they have been killed. I am on Zoey Redbird's side. I cannot give her to you. Besides, even if I could, she is not mine to give. She belongs to herself and Nyx."

"You have tried to persuade her?" Kalona couldn't believe what he had just heard.

"Yes, father. Even now I can sense how she affects you. No woman has eve been able to affect you like this. I want to help you. You are my father. But I will only help you if what you wish to be done is honorable. I aim to walk a different path. The path of light. While this is all so new to me, it feels right. If you could be made to change for love then everything would be much easier. If, for some treason, you believe you could change for Zoey Redbird, then of course I will help you. But father, my time here is running short. The sun will rise soon, and I need to get back to the tunnels. Make your choice."

"I do not know," said Kalona, his voice hollow.

"Think about it then," said Rephaim. "But please, take me back."

"Fine," said Kalona. He reached out for his son, and they joined hands. Kalona's night-colored wings unfurled, and before either of them knew it they were back at the entrance of the depot.

Rephaim turned and faced his father. He bowed respectfully. "When you make your choice, all you have to do is call." Not waiting for Kalona to speak, Rephaim whirled around and hurried into the depot.

Kalona stood alone and realized once more how close he was to Zoey. He could go to her right now. But he did not like being underground. No she would have to come out to him. He couldn't stand to be so close to her. He couldn't stand that his son had made him admit his weaknesses. He felt so incredibly vulnerable.

It suddenly occurred to Kalona that his son was incredibly different. But something wasn't right about Rephaim's behavior. Yes, he acted incredibly honorable and devoted to the Goddess, but Kalona knew his son well. He knew that there must be some conflict of interest raging within his son's heart. After all, Rephaim had demonstrated the ability to hide his loyalties before. Kalona had never seen this love for Stevie Rae coming. He had not sensed any kind of betrayal from his son. It had happened just the same. Yes Rephaim had hidden his secrets well. Kalona had a feeling that Rephaim was not as dedicated to Nyx as he would like him to believe.

However, that did not mean much beyond a hint of satisfaction from knowing that his son was not completely devoted to Light. What mattered now is that he was close enough to Zoey Redbird to take her away from this place. So acting purely out of impulse Kalona closed his eyes, focused on his connection to Zoey and whispered her name.

**Author's Note**

**For all of my readers who insist that Zoey and Stark should end up together, I must tell you that this is simply not going to happen. I love Stark. He is amazing. But I love Kalona a little bit more. **

**So, before you read further chapters, I will tell you that Stark and Zoey are most definitely not going to get together.**

**The Stark/Zoey relationship is adorable and sweet. However, purely adorable and sweet does not make an interesting and dramatic love story.**

**I chose Stevie Rae/ Rephaim and Kalona/Zoey for the reason that I firmly believe that anyone can change if they love someone enough. We all saw that with Rephaim, and with some textual evidence, I believe that there is a chance for Kalona.**

**To those who state that Kalona loves Nyx, I know that, and you are absolutely correct however, allow me to reveal a connection, or at least my interpretation of the connection between Kalona and Zoey.**

**Zoey is Nyx's most powerful fledgling as demonstrated by the incredible tattoos that cover her body almost entirely. Zoey has an affinity for all five of the elements, which makes her extremely powerful. Kalona, of course, has a lust for power. So of course he wants her. It is her affinities and abilities that lead me to believe, as a reader, that Zoey Redbird has the potential to become as powerful as the Goddess Nyx herself. In this way Zoey is incredibly similar to Nyx. So yes, Kalona loves Nyx, but Zoey is the closest person to Nyx, so naturally Kalona would want to pursue her.**

**Also, Zoey is the reincarnation of A-ya. Kalona loved A-ya, even if that love was shown by monstrous passion that resulted with him being trapped within the earth. Zoey looks like A-ya, so that makes her even more desirable to Kalona. **

**As explained previously in the story, Zoey embodies the best of both A-ya and Nyx. So of Course Kalona wants her, and even if he does not love her, there are infinite possibilities and conflicts for this pairing. Conflict makes for good writing. The same can be said for Rephaim and Stevie Rae.**

**So I suppose the ultimate question of this story would be, can love conquer Darkness? Can an ageless evil immortal change for love? Again, only Nyx knows. **

**So I will repeat one more time. Stark and Zoey will not end up together, and I won't be changing my mind. Happy Reading!**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: If anyone still wants to insist that I need to put Zoey with Stark, please go back and read my author's note at the end of chapter 7. Here is yet another chapter. Read, relax, and review! Happy Reading!**

**Zoey**

I was sitting in the room I was sharing with Stark. He was sitting beside me. I had a copy of Stephanie Meyer's _Twilight _perched on my knees. Stark was reading some kind of manly car fix-it type magazine.

My right hand was resting on the soft lavender comforter that covered our double mattress. Starks hand was warm as if folded around mine. I loved the way Stark could make me feel so safe and warm with a simple touch.

What I didn't love was the way he made fun of what I liked to read.

Stark peered over at _Twilight, _laughed and said, "Isn't that the book with the gay vampyres?"

"They're not gay," I said, smiling slightly. "They just sparkle. Besides, I know its kind of lame, but I like seeing all the different interpretations of vamps. No matter how ridiculous or screwed up they are."

Stark laughed and gave me an I-Can't-Believe-You-Are-Reading-That-Crap look. I looked at his manly magazine and flashed him a similar look. "Hey you don't see me trashing your dumb car magazines," I continued.

"This magazine is well-written and informative. Which is more than I can say for that book." Stark laughed again and I was reminded how much I loved his laughter. I just loved to hear that he was happy. It made me happy. To be honest Stark and I had been incredibly happy whenever we were together, despite the fact that our world was falling apart around us and we were living in semi-nasty tunnels beneath the streets of Tulsa.

To be honest I would have been perfectly content to lie in Stark's arms, laughing and talking about insignificant things for several long hours. I would have been perfectly content to ignore the outside world for a few days of alone time with Stark.

But I had already done that at the Isle of Skye, and I knew that I couldn't hide forever. After all, I had promised Neferet a new House of Night, and I knew that my little coven of new vamps and fledglings and I would have to figure out the best way to do this, but I wanted to ignore my responsibilities for a few days. I wanted to give everyone a chance to recover from the incredible drama that had happened.

Seriously. We all lost our home. Neferet had been exonerated, but at least it appeared that Kalona was no longer with her since he had flown away after releasing Rephaim, so that was a tiny little piece of good news. However, he was still out there, and he probably would still be a threat to our cause, whatever that cause was supposed to be. Neferet was sick and twisted and way worse than ever before. Not to mention she had basically turned the whole school against us, well sort of. Which of course is why we had to leave in the first place. However, we would always be near by and we would probably attend some classes, but none of us had really thought that far ahead. We were all too disturbed by Neferet's presence at the House of Night.

Oh, and to make things worse, there was the whole Rephaim and Stevie Rae issue. Okay, I know that Stevie Rae was convinced that he had changed, and that as her best friend I should be fully supportive. However, I couldn't' shake the feeling that there was something wrong with Rephaim. Yes, he had proclaimed his allegiance to Stevie Rae and our goddess. However, he was also the son of one of the most evil beings on the face of the planet. Rephaim had faithfully served his psycho daddy for centuries. I was reminded of that fact when Stevie Rae had told me about his request.

The fact that Rephaim wanted me to give Kalona a second chance was absolutely ludicrous. It literally as one of the most insane things I had ever heard, and it was the most absurd favor that had ever been asked of me. It was so crazy that the fact that a part of me, and I do mean a really miniscule part, wanted to do it was mind-blowing.

I couldn't even fathom what would happen if I told my friends about it. They would all freak, like they had with the whole Rephaim/Stevie Rae issue. Of course they had been distracted by the fact that we were burning the body of one of our deceased friends and that Neferet was running around like a raving lunatic, but they had still taken a moment to be majorly pissed. At the moment, despite the fact that the House of Night was back under the control of a psycho bitch, we were pretty much safe in the tunnels. If I even suggested giving Kalona a second chance there was no telling what my friends would do to me.

Besides, I was even more worried about Stark's reaction. He would go ballistic. I did not want to risk Stark turning into a crazy, psycho, possessive jerk, because even though Stark was my Guardian and bonded to me forever, there was still a possibility that he would go Stark-raving-mad. (No pun intended). Hell, if I were him and I found out, I would be majorly pissed and I would probably want to hurt someone or smash something. My inner-musings about telling Stark about Rephaim's request were interrupted by the sound of my name.

SI recognized the deep dark voice: a voice like melted chocolate. A voice that a small part of me still wanted to drown in. It wasn't Stark's, and no one in the tunnels had called my name. I had heard it inside my head. I looked over at Stark. His attention had gone back to his guy magazine. He was still holding my hand. I quickly wondered if he had felt the tension that was slowly creeping over my body. Apparently not, because he didn't look up from an article about the top ten sports cars to own.

Then I wondered what would happen if I ignored the voice. Wait a minute, voices in my head, was I going crazy? Apparently not, because I definitely heard him again. Suddenly, before I could stop myself, I pulled my hand away from Stark's. He looked up at me, concern in his dark eyes. "What's wrong?" Clearly he could sense that I was majorly freaked out.

"Nothing," I said quickly. "I just need some air."

"Want me to come with you?"

I wanted him to come with me. I was scared as hell that something deep within my soul was telling me to leave the safety of the tunnels. I wanted Stark to come and protect me from who might be lurking outside. But this was something I needed to do on my own. I needed to put an end to this whole issue once and for all, because if I didn't it would just complicate everything. Especially my relationship with Stark. "No, you stay here. I'll be back soon. I promise." Then I kissed him and stood up to leave the room.

If I had looked back, I might have seen the worry on his handsome face. But my body was out of control. My spirit was forcing me forward. This was a bad sign.

My fingers curled around a rung of an iron ladder that led up to the basement of the depot. I was amazed that I had managed to get here this quickly. The tunnels were a maze, but it seemed like no time had passed since I had left Stark alone in the room that we shared. I looked up at the trap door that opened up to the basement of the depot. Okay, I really, really didn't want to leave the safety of the tunnels. Especially since the voice that was calling me out belonged to Kalona, my deadly enemy. Not only that, but the guy who had tried to seduce me on several different occasions. Nonetheless, I was climbing up the ladder. My heart was beating really fast. I could almost feel it pounding in my ears.

My hand pushed against the cold hard wood and I climbed the last few rungs f the ladder and pulled myself up into the dusty basement. I was steps away from what could potentially be my worst nightmare. My heart was practically beating out of my chest. I stooped and whispered a brief prayer to Nyx to guide and protect me from the impending danger. "Spirit, come to me, protect my heart. Protect my thoughts from Stark. I don' want him hurt by what may happen." The powerful element filled me up, and it calmed my racing heart. I was strengthened by Spirit and by my faith in Nyx. I climbed up the partially broken stairs and pushed open the door that led to the outside world.

It was cold. The silvery moon hung high in the semi-black night sky. There was a slight breeze, and I realized that I was only wearing a lacy black camisole over my low-rise skinny jeans from American Eagle. The cold made me realize that I was shaking. I scanned the area for the guy who was making me feel like a weak, scared, little girl.

I looked over to the enormous, ill-manicured oak tree. The ice from the crazy weather had melted, but it still looked incredibly fragile. I remembered when Heath had come to see me. I remembered how he had begged me to take him back. I remembered the attack that had almost caused me to die. With that memory, other memories of Kalona started flooding in. They overwhelmed me and I could feel my heart pounding on my chest again. I focused on the power of Spirit. "Spirit," I whispered, "help me to keep a clear mind." The element began to calm me all over again. I looked back at the enormous oak. It was now bathed in shadow. Then he stepped out from the shadows, and it took all the strength I had not to shriek out my loudest possible girl scream. Instead, I settled for getting incredibly tense.

There was a smile on his perfect lips. I could see the laughter in his eyes. I suddenly became aware of how much of him there was. He stood over seven feet tall, and he wore tight black jeans that hugged every single perfect curve. His chest was bare as always, and his thick, shaggy, black mane hung loosely at his shoulders. He was just so real. Not to mention, he looked no older than twenty-one, and I reminded myself that he looked like the –perfect age for me, despite the fact that he was an ancient, evil immortal. I couldn't help but feel intimidated.

He sensed my fear, but it did not stop his slow advance towards me.

I tried to keep my cool. I tried to focus on my element. However, I couldn't' stop my heart from racing. I prayed that Stark could not sense everything that I was feeling. Otherwise, he would have come racing to my aid, like a gallant knight in shining armor. I didn't need tow guys fighting over me. Especially when I didn't care at all for one of them. Hell. I did not need to be in the middle of some testosterone filled man fight. Hadn't I been through enough of them?

In a moment he was standing only inches away from me. I could feel the cold heat radiating from his naked flesh. I would not meet his eyes, so instead I stared at his perfect, rock-hard abs, which wasn't that hard to do.

I knew that he stopped moving. I could hear him breathing. I could feel his gaze boring into me, willing me to meet his eyes. Still, I resisted the temptation. Apparently, my efforts of resistance were funny, because he started to laugh.

His laughter was deep, smooth, dark, and wonderful. It reverberated all around me. I found myself wanting to meet his eyes. I hated being laughed at and I wanted to give into my temptation and put a stop to it. However, I didn't. But I was powerless to resist his deadly allure when he stopped laughing and said my name.

My eyes immediately went from his chest to his blazing amber eyes. Before I knew it, our hands touched and our fingers intertwined. I could feel his cold heat. It was burning my flesh but I couldn't, wouldn't let go. The pain was refreshing and oddly wonderful. I found myself leaning closer to him. I could feel his smile, even though I didn't take my eyes away from his.

"Merry Meet, Zoey," he said softly, obviously mocking the traditional greeting. I ignored it though. I wanted to drown in his voice. It was pretty terrifying that part of me still wanted him.

I remembered when his spell over me had shattered. I had thought that it was irreparable. I hoped that I would never want him like that again. I still was praying that it would never happen. But then Kalona did something to screw everything back.

He whispered my name and then pressed his lips against mine. I felt the forbidden euphoria rush through my body. I felt extreme adrenaline and icy hot passion race through my entire being. The forbidden longing stabbed through my heart like a knife. I felt the pain of his touch, but I wanted more of it. My arms wrapped around his neck and I pressed myself against him. He welcomed the gesture and deepened our kiss; I suddenly felt his hands glide down my back. One of the slid under my camisole and the other one was pressed firmly against my butt. He pulled me even closer to him as his tongue explored my mouth. Then it hit me like lighting. This was totally wrong. I broke the kiss. But it was too late.

I knew that the shattered pieces of his deadly spell that he had over me were already starting to come back together. Kalona, apparently, knew it as well. Instead of looking offended that I had broke our kiss, he was smiling triumphantly down at me. "I knew it wasn't too late for us, Zoey. I knew that you could not deny our feelings for me."

The alarm immediately sounded in my mind. I was in love with Stark, not Kalona. However, he was right. I could not deny the forbidden attraction. I could not deny that part of me belonged to him. Still, I didn't want to be with him. I wanted to be with Stark. I wanted to spend the rest of my life with my Guardian. "Whoa," I said, sounding lame, "No. It is too late. Besides there has never been an _us. _The part of me that was with you is just that: a part of who I am. I already am with the one I love!"

Kalona threw back his gorgeous head and laughed. "The foolish Guardian Stark? Oh my dear little Zoey, had you paid attention in your studies you would know that a High Priestess is entitled to both a Warrior, or in your case Guardian, and a Mate. You can have both."

"That's just it. I know that I can have both. But I don't want you."

"Stop fighting me and accept the truth."

"What would you know of truth? What would you know of anything good? I don't want you Kalona."

"Then why did you answer my call." He sounded incredibly arrogant and cocky as he asked the question. He flashed me an impish smile. "Why would you come to me if you don't want me."

"Curiosity?" I offered before stepping away from him.

Kalona laughed again and seized my wrist and pulled me into him once more. "You did so because you wanted to. Now surrender to your desires."

"No," I shouted. "I won't give in to you. You know what? I lied before. I came her to end whatever we have. I am fully committed to Stark."

Kalona's eyes flashed dangerously. "You're lying."

"No, I'm not. Whatever we have, and believe me, I don't think we have that much, is done. You need to stop coming to me in my dreams. You can't come her anymore."

"Do you remember what I said to you in the infirmary after you almost died?"

I shuddered as I remembered.

"Darius and any of your other friends can protect you from all others except me. Nothing will stop me from claiming what is meant to be mine. Deep down I know you know this to be true. Why not make it easier on everyone and accept me."

"Because, if I accepted you for these reasons I would be giving away my free will. I would be turning my back on everything that I believe in."

"I told you once before. I would not take away your free will. It is your spirit, your power, and your beauty that makes me want you. I would not strip you of your free will. Without it, you would not be the same. You would not be as alluring."

Alluring? Me. No way. He was doing it again. Telling me things that would make me want to accept him. Well it wasn't going to work. "The only way I would love you the way you want me to is if you took away my free will. Now we're done. Don't make me call up the elements to kick your butt."

"Zoey, why must you fight me? If you gave me a chance to take you away, I could show you the person I could become to please you."

"That's just it. You can't be the person I want you to be."

"You saved Stark! Why can't you save me?"

"You have been evil for centuries. There is no way in hell you can change, and there is nothing you can do to change my mind."

Kalona's eyes flashed again. "I think there is something I can do. I will listen to you tonight, but believe me, Zoey. I shall never give up. I shall peruse you until you accept me. Until next time. Zoey." Then he kissed me with such passion that when it was over I crumpled to the ground,

He smiled down at me, laughed, and then he spread his massive night-colored wings and flew off into the night.

Before I could stop myself, I began to cry. He had kissed me just to torture me, just as he had done the day I almost died.

**Rephaim**

The sun would rise soon. Rephaim wanted to find Stevie Rae and talk to her before he turned back into a raven.

Rephaim knew that he had only defied his father because of Stevie Rae and the Goddess. Stevie Rae would have been what he would have had to give up if he served his father. The Goddess had given him the strength he needed to defy his father. But even the tow of them hadn't stopped him from offering his father a choice.

However, it didn't seem to matter, because Rephaim knew that his father's intentions for Zoey Redbird were far from honorable. Despite this knowledge, Rephaim feared what would happen when his father would call for him again. For despite all that had passed between them, despite the fact that his father had disowned him, Rephaim now knew that the entire thing had been a ruse.

Perhaps Kalona had hoped to use him against Zoey Redbird all along. Perhaps that was why he so willingly gave him the choice to serve the goddess and to choose love.

Did Kalona know about something within his hear that even Rephaim himself didn't know about? Did Kalona sense that love would fade away taking loyalty to the Goddess away with it? No. That was absurd. Rephaim loved Stevie Rae beyond all else. He most definitely was not going to stop. She had saved him. He had changed for her. Love for Stevie Rae and loyalty to the Goddess because of that love would never fade away, no matter what his father predicted.

Still, Rephaim prayed that Nyx would give him the strength and courage to openly defy his father the next time he called. He would need all the help he could get, for doing the right thing was still foreign to him. Darkness was still tempting, which is why he had fallen to his knees at the sight of his father.

If it hadn't been for the apparition of the Goddess, who know what might have happened? He might have agreed to whatever plot his father had in mind to make Zoey Redbird his.

Rephaim knew the only way he could help his father out was to persuade Zoey to choose to give his father second chance on her own. He could not force her to do anything, and neither could anyone else. For Zoey had demonstrated that the possessed incredible power, and it backed her courage of conviction. Her great faith for the Goddess had given her the strength to defy his father time and time again, despite the temptation. Perhaps Rephaim would get to that point.

Yet, the thought of openly defying Kalona again was terrifying. A battle was raging in his heart. He had betrayed his father, but he still felt obligated to help him turn to Light, if it was even possible. Maybe that's why he decided to seek out Zoey instead of Stevie Rae.

However, he never found either one of them. The tunnels were truly a maze, and instead of traveling at more familiar path to Stevie Rae's room, he decided to try and find Zoey Redbird, the young woman that his father desperately desired. If there was any chance of convincing her to take his father back, he would have to try. IT was the only thing he could do. For his obligation to his father was challenging his love for Stevie Rae. He wanted to rid his heart of this obligation. Only then could he truly be happy with his love. Zoey Redbird was the key.

As he walked around in the maze of dark, dirty, tunnels, he felt that the sun as closer to rising. He knew that he should gat back to his perch in Stevie Rae's room where it was safe. But now he wasn't quite sure if he could get there in time. His search for Zoey had been in vain. His discussion with her would have to wait.

Rephaim immediately turned on his heel and looked down an empty passage that was lit by some thick black candles. He recognized the candles and suddenly realized that he was right near Stevie Rae's room.

Sensing that he only had a few minutes until sunrise, he started to run in the right direction. He finally arrived and flung back the dark blue curtain that separated his love's room from the rest of the tunnels. It was empty.

The table at the foot of he bed was littered with CD's, DVD's, and magazines. But it also held a wrought-iron cage, one that would house him if he became too restless as a beast. Rephaim turned and closed the curtain. Then he focused on the Imprint he shattered with Stevie Rae. _"Sunrise is upon us. Come to me, Stevie Rae!"_ He spoke the words out loud and heard them reverberate off the walls.

He waited for the painful transformation and within moments he fell to the ground. His arms and legs shot back into his body and became fathered. Within seconds the rest of his body was also covered with the night-colore3d feathers. He could no longer speak. After a few more second where Rephaim once stood, there was now a beautiful, large, black raven in his place.

His bestial instincts to fly away were blocked by the thick curtain. The raven fluttered its way back to the table where it sat perched on its edge, waiting for the moon to rise once again.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Okay, ya'll need to stop telling me how much you love Zoey and Stark together, because they are so not ending up together. Sorry to disappoint. Stark will always be important, but he's not going to be with Zoey. Not in this story. So with that in mind, here is a short transition chapter. Read, relax, and review! Happy Reading!**

**Stevie Rae**

Stevie Rae sat in bed, unable to fall asleep. Rephaim had returned from his meeting with Kalona, but she hadn't gotten the opportunity to speak with him before he transformed. She had come back to her room with a baggie of blood and some nacho cheese Doritos for a bedtime snack. She saw the big black raven perched on the table at the end of her bed.

After she had drained the baggie of blood and devoured the chips, she tried, and failed, to fall asleep. Which was ridiculous because being a Red Vampyre, the longer the sun was up, the more tired she got. But she was so darn worried about what had happened with Rephaim and his daddy that she couldn't get to sleep no matter how badly she wanted to.

So she sat there, totally tired, waiting for the sun to set. It was going to be a long wait, and despite the plethora of distractions in her room, from Kenny Chesney CD's to season 1 of True Blood on DVD, she couldn't escape her worry. So she would have to wait it out, which totally sucked.

-/-

The sun was bout to set. She could feel it. Which meant that in a few moments she would finally get to find out what had happened with Rephaim.

Within a few moments, the familiar transformation took place. After the transformation Rephaim fell to the floor. His chest rising and falling rapidly. Stevie Rae hopped out of bed and ran to sit by his side. His eyes locked with hers and he sat up only to lean against her bed. He smiled slowly up at here. "Hey," he said, sounding totally normal.

Stevie Rae leaned in and kissed him. "I was worried about you," she said against his lips.

"I know how to handle myself around my father," said Rephaim slowly.

Stevie Rae could tell he was lying, but she ignored it because she needed to find out what happened. "What did he want."

"The same thing he has always wanted. Zoey Redbird."

Stevie Rae bit her lip nervously. "What does he expect you to do."

"Convince Zoey to give him another chance. If that didn't work, he wanted me to force her to go away with him."

"You didn't agree did you, 'cause if you did, we are going to be in a whole lot of trouble." Stevie Rae tried to hide her concern.

Rephaim took her hand in his. "You don't need to worry. I'm not going to help my father. It wouldn't be right. If Zoey doesn't want to accept him then she doesn't have to. I told my father this and he grew angry. He sent me away."

At that Stevie Rae threw her arms around him. "Oh thank Goddess, Rephaim. I am so proud of you. I love you!" Then she kissed him again.

**Rephaim**

Guilt stirred deep within him. He had just lied to Stevie Rae. Well, not totally, but he had lied by omission. He had failed to mention that he had offered to help his father if his intentions were honorable. However, he didn't see that as a very good possibility, so he neglected to mention it. He had preached that Zoey was free to do as she wished, when in reality, Rephaim would do his best to convince Zoey to give in to his father.

Rephaim tried to ignore the guilt. He tried to ignore the fact that he had just lied to Stevie Rae. He managed to do so by thinking once more of his father. Deep down he still had some form of loyalty to his father, even though he had most definitely chosen Stevie Rae and the Goddess. Still, he wanted to serve his father, but only if it would help convert him to the side of the Goddess.

Was it even possible for Kalona to return to Nyx's good graces? Could he do so by being with Zoey Redbird? Could Kalona be made to believe in love again, and to choose Light over Darkness as he had? Rephaim did not know the answers to these questions, but he new that he had to try to help his father. His sense of loyalty demanded it. Of course, his newfound loyalty also prevented him from doing something against Nyx.

His loyalties were divided, and if he did not tend to both, they would certainly tear him apart. He had just lied to Stevie Rae. He would need to soothe his guilt. But he also needed to start to convince Zoey to give his father a chance.

For the moment, he was content to hold Stevie Rae in his arms. She was happy with him for now, and he knew this would not last long unless he found a way to bring together Zoey and his father. For if he didn't, Kalona would always be a threat to Zoey Redbird and her small coven of vampyres and fledglings. For Kalona would not give up until he got what, or in this case, who, he wanted. Rephaim knew his father to recognize this truth.

Rephaim knew he must find Zoey today and try to speak with her alone. How would he do that though without arousing the suspicion of Stevie Rae?

Luckily for Rephaim Zoey showed up in Stevie Rae's room an hour later.

She pushed back the curtain and when she saw them sitting together on the floor she smiled apologetically. "Oh, hey, I'm sorry, am I interrupting something?"

Stevie Rae answered quickly. "No, we're just sitting here, talking. Normal stuff, what's up?"

"I wanted to talk to you about something, but it's not really important, we can talk about it later if you want to hang out with Rephaim."

Stevie Rae looked over at Rephaim, who was staring intently at Zoey. He released her hand and stood up. "Actually," he said, addressing Zoey, "could I have a word with you?"

Zoey looked taken aback, but after an approving nod from Stevie Rae she agreed. However, as she left the room and Rephaim began to follow her, Stevie Rae caught his hand and he turned back.

"What are you doing," she asked, sounding worried.

"I'm helping my father," he said before he could stop himself.

Stevie Rae looked confused. "You said you weren't going to."

"I'm not gong to force Zoey into anything. I am not going to do anything that will hurt you, or go against Nyx. But I need to help my father."

"Why? Why do you need t help him. He disowned you. He doesn't love you like I do."

"I know, but Stevie Rae, I still think that he can choose Nyx if he is with someone who is loved by her. My father will never give up his pursuit. If I can help him do it nobly than that is what I shall do. My father will always be a threat us of he isn't with Zoey. I don't want anything to hurt you, least of all my father. I am doing this for us."

"This doesn't seem right, Rephaim. Zoey is not going to go for it."

"I need to try," said Rephaim. "Everyone deserves a chance for love."

The argument succeeded in persuading Stevie Rae. "Just don't do anything wrong, Rephaim. Don't do anything you will regret."

"I will do my best," he said.

"Well, then I'm going to go out on a limb here and trust that you know what you are doing when it comes to your daddy and that you will do the right thing. I believe in you Rephaim, please don't let me down." She stood up and kissed him on the cheek, and then he turned away to follow Zoey out into the empty tunnel.

**Zoey**

"Thank you for consenting to speak with me, Zoey Redbird," said Rephaim as he stepped up beside me and we started walking down one of the empty, quiet passageways. I was really glad that Aphrodite and the Red Fledglings had started to make this place livable. I remembered the last time I was down here hiding from Kalona and Neferet. The place had been infested with bats and totally filthy, but it was much better now. Anyway, I had to focus my attention on Rephaim, even though I couldn't' imagine what he wanted to talk to me about.

"Umm, you can drop the last name, that's a bit too formal. Just call me Zoey," I said, trying to ignore the fact that Rephaim sounded kind of nervous. Hell, so was I. I still didn't trust the new Rephaim. It didn't help that he had a strong resemblance to his father, except for the fact that he didn't have enormous black wings and the fact that I totally wasn't attracted to him. Oh hell, Kalona was the last person I needed to be thinking of at the moment.

"Oh, okay," he said slowly, "well, I'm sure Stevie Rae has mentioned this but I felt that I needed to ask you myself. I really, really would like you to give my father a second chance."

Wait? What? What. The. Hell. Was. Happening? "Umm, no, I can't do that," I said. I stopped walking and turned to face him.

His expression was hard to read; all of his emotions were hidden. His voice was even as he spoke again. "Please, Zoey, I would be eternally in your debt if you would do this for me. Anyway, it's not just for me, its for everyone."

"What the hell do you mean," I asked, totally confused, "Your daddy is totally evil. You might have chosen love. You might have chosen Nyx, but you at least have a shred of humanity. Kalona is totally evil."

"My point exactly, priestess," he said, switching to the title that Darius sometimes used.

I know it was a sign of respect, but honestly, I so did not want to deal with Rephaim right now. But out of curiosity and respect for Stevie Rae I decided to hear him out. "Fine, I'll hear you out, but that's the only promise I'm making."

"Don't you see, priestess? My father will always be a threat to you and your group if you do not choose him. He will never stop pursuing you until you allow him to be with you."

"You might be right about him being a threat, but I'm not going to be with him. How could you possible expect me to accept him? You know him best of all. You were his favorite son, but he had no problem giving you up. What does that say about him, Rephaim? Can you honestly think that he could be good?" As I spoke I noticed Rephaim's features tense. I could tell my word had hurt him, and I was sorry about it, but he had to know that what he was asking me to do was totally beyond ridiculous.

"You said it yourself. I know him better than anyone. I know who he could be if given the chance. I chose love and Light over Darkness. My father used to be Nyx's Warrior. He could go back to Light with your help." As he spoke he did not look me in the eyes. He glanced at my tattoos instead. "You are special to Nyx. You are the closest thing to Nyx on this earth. My father still loves Nyx, If you offer to help him by being with him, he will accept it. If you say you are doing what you do for Nyx, he will follow you. My father might not admit t, but I know deep down he seeks redemption, forgiveness, and love. Everyone deserves the chance to earn these things, Zoey. Even my father."

Rephaim words were powerful and pretty convincing. I had to admit that he had a way with words, just as his father did. Why was I so tempted to believe him? Would it be so bad to try and help Kalona choose Light over Darkness? After all, Rephaim was right. I had a feeling Kalona could not stop chasing after me, as weird as it was to have a drop dead gorgeous immortal going after me, until I agreed to be with him. If I kept denying him he would get really pissed and start hurting my friends. It didn't matter that he was no longer allied with Neferet. He was still incredibly powerful and dangerous. Maybe this was the best thing to do; still, it was so wrong. I couldn't do it. "No," I said quickly. "'I'm sorry, Rephaim. I can't do it." Then before he could say anything else I turned away and headed for my room. I was relieved that Rephaim chose not to follow me.

**Rephaim **

Rephaim stood alone in the tunnels as he watched Zoey run away. He had failed. He had made a convincing argument and he sensed that deep down Zoey wanted to do what he was asking. Rephaim had a gift for knowing the deep feelings of people, feelings that they denied and buried deep within their hearts.

Standing alone in the dark tunnels, Rephaim knew he had fallen, and he knew that his father would bee calling to him and Rephaim knew that no matter what he said about his intentions, he would help his father win Zoey Redbird in an honorable and moral fashion. Kalona would always create drama and tension with Zoey and her circle of friends. Now that he was with Stevie Rae, he was more or less with Zoey and the rest of her friends, even if they hadn't accepted him yet. If his father was creating tension with that group, then there would be tension in his already fragile relationship with Stevie Rae.

Rephaim suddenly turned and headed for the depot that housed the entrance to the tunnels: the gateway to the outside world where his father would be waiting for him.

Rephaim climbed the steel ladder and pushed open the trap door. He stood in the abandoned depot for a moment before he stepped outside in the cool night air. The moon was not that high in the sky. Rephaim guessed that it was pretty early in the evening.

Rephaim looked over at the enormous, poorly manicured tree. One of his brothers had waited there and had accidentally attacked Zoey. The events of the day replayed in his mind. Rephaim had been totally evil back then. That was before he had been shot down, before he had met Stevie Rae, be fore he chose love. He had to believe that his father could do the same.

Rephaim stood and waited for his father to appear. Kalona was not one to disappoint, at least not when it was to his advantage to oblige.

Rephaim fought the urge to kneel to his father. He didn't need to anymore.

"My son," his voice dark, "I have made my decision. I want Zoey Redbird to be mine, and if you agree to help me obtain her, then I shall do it your way."


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Here comes the turning point! I am very excited about this chapter, so read, relax, and review! Happy Reading!**

**Kalona**

"You will do it my way?" asked Rephaim, his voice reflecting a tone of disbelief.

"Within reason," Kalona replied. "Although I must give you my input, especially if your way is inefficient."

"Well, I can already tell you that she will not give you another chance based on a favor to Stevie Rae and me. I have already asked her, and she flat out denied my request."

Kalona bowed his head. "Then what do you suggest we do?"

"I don't know. She wont be persuaded to take you back. At least not by me."

"I have tried countless times. She won't comply, despite our connection."

Kalona's words suddenly inspired Rephaim. "Stevie Rae and I have a connection," he said softly, mostly to himself.

Kalona heard him anyway. "Make your point, my son," said Kalona impatiently.

"Our connection is what brought us together. But in only brought us together because of the time we spent alone together. We really bonded. We fell in love, and the rest is history of course." Rephaim smiled slightly at the thought.

"What exactly are you suggesting?" asked Kalona, sounding rather intrigued.

"Take her away so you can spend some time alone with her. You have gone to her in her dreams, but that clearly is not enough. Take her away, allow her to get to know the man you could be, rather than the man you are. It worked with Stevie Rae, I see no reason why it wouldn't work on Zoey."

"You didn't want to fall in love with her, nor did you want her to fall in love with you. Besides, Zoey Redbird and your Stevie Rae are very different."

"How would you know, father. I have seen them together. I know them both, even if I only know Zoey on the most basic level. These young women are incredibly strong and wise for their youth. They are dedicated to the Goddess. Yet, they can be convinced of anything if for the right reasons. I might not have intended to fall in love with Stevie Rae, but it happened, and by some miracle she learned to love me, despite all that I was. Isolation brought that on. I believe it will work in a similar way with Zoey."

Kalona, while not fully convinced, smiled. "Perhaps you are right, my son. If I could have Zoey to myself for a few weeks, I believe I could get her to commit to me. I could make her mine."

"Father, you can't make Zoey Redbird do anything. She has her free will, and incredible strength to back it up. Besides, if you force her to love you, she never truly will."

Kalona scowled at his son. "I never said anything about love. Love is a fool's dream."

Rephaim shook his head. "I used to believe that too, father. That was one of the first lessons you taught me, but now look at what I have. I have love, and undeniable love. You must see this, for that love somehow convinced you to let me betray you."

"You know nothing of my reasons for giving you a choice to betray me," said Kalona.

"Do you, father? Can you honestly sit here and tell me why you allowed me to betray you."

Kalona scowled again. "I do not need to explain myself to you."

Kalona's retort confirmed Rephaim's suspicions. "Fine, do not tell me why you released me, but before I help you, before we make a plan to convince Zoey to accept you, you must tell me why you want Zoey. I know the reasons you have hidden behind, but you must tell me the real, genuine reason."

Kalona's amber eyes narrowed. Rephaim knew that this would be difficult for his father. It had been difficult for him to discover why he wanted Stevie Rae. Of course, when he finally did, he was finally given humanity and love. He wanted the same for his father. He was still loyal to Kalona, even if he didn't want to be.

Kalona couldn't believe the request his so n had made. Kalona was not obligated to open up to his son. He shouldn't' have to beg for his help. He shouldn't have to expose himself. Rephaim had been unquestionably loyal to him for centuries, and now love had changed everything.

Love. He still loved Nyx, and he wanted her forgiveness. Zoey was the key. Zoey was the closest person he had on this earth to Nyx. Perhaps if she learned to love him, Nyx would finally forgive him. Yes, he was using Zoey to get to Nyx, but beyond that, no matter how much he tried to deny it, she was the only person since Nyx, since A-ya, who made him _feel._ Even though he didn't know what those feelings were, he wanted to discover what they were. The only way he would get to was to open up to his son, which as absolutely ridiculous, however is seemed that the only way to get him to comply. So against every instinct he confessed this truth to Rephaim.

**Rephaim**

Rephaim's eyes widened, despite the fact that his father was only revealing what he already suspected.

The connection between the father and son was restored, despite all that had happened.

"You will help me?"

Rephaim nodded. His reasons were honorable enough, and he had promised to do things his way. "I shall lure Zoey Redbird outside and you shall whisk her away with you. Let her see the man you could be if she chose you. But father, you cannot force her into anything, or she will never be yours."

"You lure her outside and I shall deal with the rest. This act is not against your foolish goddess?" asked Kalona with a mocking tone.

Rephaim closed his eyes. "I do not know, but the reasons for doing so are for love, for forgiveness. The methods might not be favorable, but as long as you do not use force, I suspect that she will not interfere."

"You do not fear losing the love of your Stevie Rae?" asked Kalona.

"I do," sad Rephaim, "I will keep this a secret until your plan succeeds. But if it does not succeed in a timely manner, and if you do not do things in an honorable fashion, you must swear to let me take her home and realize that you will not ever convince her to be yours."

Kalona's blood boiled. "I will get her to be mine no matter what. It is not up to you to set a time limit. That is insolence," he roared.

Rephaim stood, and with the goddess giving him strength, he said, "If you don't do this my way, then I won't help you. Goodbye father, I now see what you are willing to do for love, and if you are not willing to do it honorably, I have no wish to help you with your endeavor." He started to walk towards the tunnels feeling extremely proud of himself that he had just done the right thing.

His father's call stopped his progress, and Rephaim was surprised by the desperation in his voice. "Wait."

Rephaim turned around and realized that his father was completely vulnerable.

"I will do it your way, but you must start tonight. I want her tonight."

"Father, wait out here in the shadows. I will go get Zoey and lure her out here so you can take her away. But father, understand this, if she does not agree to be with you by the next full moon I will come and rescue her. That gives you a month's time. Use it well."

"Very well," said Kalona, "make haste my son." Kalona backed away into the safety of the shadows.

Rephaim turned away and murmured a silent prayer to the goddess. However, her answer came, as she appeared as the small blond child appeared at his side_. Rephaim do you really believe that Kalona could love my beloved daughter?_

"I do," said Rephaim. "Love can save anyone."

Nyx smiled up at him. _Then I shall give you this chance. I shall give your father this chance. _The child giggled and danced off into the night. Rephaim watched her progress until she disappeared. Then he turned and entered the depot so he could set their plan in motion.

Rephaim walked down the empty passageways and wondered where everyone was. He could not be caught. He had to keep the plan a secret from Stevie Rae, well for a little while. No one was there to see him, he guessed that the girls were in the group showers and the guys were watching something on the HD T.V. that the blond prophetess had brought in only yesterday. Rephaim walked around the maze of tunnels and then found Zoey's room. He pushed back the shimmering ebony curtain that made her dead-end of a tunnel room private.

Zoey was on her bed reading a thick hardcover book. She was alone and Rephaim was extremely relieved that Stark was not with her. "Zoey, I heard a strange noise when I was walking near the depot. I think you should investigate."

Zoey looked up at him, looking vaguely interested. "What kind of noise?"

"Strange, I don't know, but it could be something sent by Neferet. If it is, I have no means to stop it. I think you must check it out."

"Okay," said Zoey slowly, "Should I get the others?"

"No," said Rephaim quickly, "It doesn't seem that serious, just strange. It could be nothing, but as we have no guard, right now I think it is better to be safe than sorry."

Zoey got up and followed Rephaim out of her room. They quickly ran to the steel ladder that led to the depot. "I will stand guard. May the goddess be with you."

**Zoey**

I gripped the rungs of the steel ladder and climbed into the basement of the depot. I couldn't understand Rephaim's strange behavior. I had a strange feeling about it, but there was no way that I was going to let anyone be hurt by something outside of these tunnels. I fully intended to reorganize and assign guard duty after tonight. But for now, Rephaim was guarding the entrance.

Still, I called the elements to me. "Spirit, please come to me, strengthen me against whatever threat might be out there." I felt the powerful element, the one I was closest to, fill and strengthen my body. I pushed open the door to face whatever danger might be out there.

The full moon hung high in the dark sky. A slight breeze caressed my face. I scanned the area for some sort of danger. There was nothing that I could see, and the first thought that crossed my mind was that Rephaim had lured me out here on purpose. But why? Why would Rephaim want to do that? He was supposed to be on our side.

"Fire, come to me," I said softly. My palms heated up and I was ready to sizzle anything that might try and attack me.

I waited for one moment, but when nothing attacked me, I decided to go back and confront Rephaim. Since nothing had happened, maybe he had heard something strange. Maybe he wasn't moving against me. I was probably just being unreasonable. Maybe I was just letting suspicion cloud my judgment.

Anyway, I turned back totally ready to go back to the safe haven of the tunnels. Kay, it was a nasty have, but neither Neferet nor Kalona had access to the net5work of underground tunnels, and that was good enough for me.

I was just about to open the depot door, but then I heard something rustle in the trees that were about thirty feet behind me. I held on to Fire and Spirit. They strengthened me as I turned to face whatever was lurking behind me. It was definitely ridiculous that I had to face danger every time I came out here. I was seventeen and I had to face things that no one had to face, demon bird creatures, fallen High Priestesses, and winged immortals. Well, I had beaten each of them at least once, and whatever was lurking in the trees I would beat again.

I ran towards the enormous tree and braced myself for some kind of attack.

Then he stepped out of the shadows. He took me in his arms and pressed me firmly against his body. His icy heat burned me. I tried to break his grip on me, but it was like iron, unbreakable.

"I am not letting you go this time, Zoey. However, I have proposition for you. If you allow me to tae you away for a month, if you give me this chance, then I shall cut you a deal." His voice was dark and seductive.

I scowled up at the unimaginably beautiful face. "I'm not going anywhere with you."

He smiled and quickly kissed my forehead. Then his gorgeous amber eyes locked with mine, the intensity of his burning gaze practically made me melt into his arms. "I think you are, my little Zoey. However, I do offer you something worth your while. If in a month's time you do not fall in love with me, then I shall release you, and I will never pursue you again."

What the hell? Was Kalona on crack? He must be. I scowled at him and then realized that my bad feeling about Rephaim was being confirmed. It all made sense. Rephaim had begged me to give his father a second chance, and the moment I denied him he came up with a plan to make med give him what he wanted. Rephaim was still loyal to his father. He lured me out there. Now I understood why he didn't want me to get the others. He had purposely led me into this trap.

"So if I go with you, all I have to do is wait a month and you will let me go and you will never threaten my friends or me ever again? You will never try and force me to be with you?"

Kalona smiled down at me and then he kissed me deeply. I shuddered and leaned into his body. He tightened his grip on me. Why was it that every time Kalona kissed me I wanted to do whatever he said? He broke the kiss and smiled triumphantly down at me. "Give me a month of your time, and I guarantee that you will not want me to leave you alone."

"You are pretty confident for someone who had to trick me to get me here."

"Sometimes people need a push in the right direction. You are incredibly stubborn my dear Zoey. So do we have an agreement?"

I looked at him; I couldn't believe how cocky he was. However, I knew that I was irrevocably in love with Stark, and no amount of time with Kalona would change that, no matter what kind of passion and pleasure I felt when Kalona kissed me. "Okay, I'll go with you, but first, did you ask Rephaim to lure me up here?" I had to know, for Stevie Rae's sake.

"Yes, but it doesn't matter. My son was acting for your Goddess. But I do not want to speak of him. It is time for us to leave. Hold on tight, my Zoey."

I highly doubted that Rephaim was acing for Nyx, but how was I to know. I made a note to try and imagine why Nyx would want me to be with Kalona later. It seemed highly improbable that she did, but Nyx worked in mysterious way, and Kalona had mentioned the word love. Was I supposed to fall in love with Kalona? Was he supposed to fall in love with me? These were questions to be answered later.

Kalona's enormous midnight ebony wings unfurled and he held me tightly in his arms. Despite my better instincts, I clung to him as he propelled himself into the air. I watched downtown Tulsa unfold like a map below us. It was kind of amazing, everything was so small, lights from lamp posts and buildings twinkled like little stars below.

A cold wind blew over me and I suddenly was really upset that I was wearing nothing but Juicy skinny jeans and a thin, lacy, black camisole. The cold was so intense that I pressed myself against Kalona's bare chest and allowed his icy heat to warm my body.

I stopped shaking and realized that I was flying. It was so strange and scary. Kalona could drop me and kill me at any time. But his iron grip kept me safe from a totally unpleasant death. I tried not to look down because it was really freaky being up so incredibly high. The view had ceased to be beautiful. So I looked up instead and took in the twinkling stars and the full moon.

After about ten minutes, Kalona dove down into the middle of a forest. There was a clearing, and in the clearing stood a beautiful and luxurious penthouse. Had he made it just for this purpose? Was it even possible? I looked up at him. There was no expression on his handsome and perfect face, which puzzled me.

In a moment, his feet touched the roof of the penthouse. He set me down and held me close. Then he smiled down at me and kissed me, a shot of icy passion shot through my body. After he broke the kiss, I was kind of disappointed. Part of me wanted to keep kissing him. Luckily that part was way smaller than the part of me that was irrevocably in love with Stark. "I'll show you to your room," he said slowly.

Then he released every part of me but my hand, which he maintained a firm grip. I followed him through the sliding glass door, through an elegant master bedroom, down a staircase, and through a sparkling kitchen, and finally to a doorway at the end of a wide hallway. He pushed open the door to reveal an elegant room. The large bed was draped with a thick, lavender comforter that reminded me of my grandma's guest bedroom. The walls were painted a similar shade; the thick dark carpet was soft against my bare feet. Over in the corner there was a desk, a dresser and a full-length mirror. There was a closet on the other side of the bed, which I hoped was filled with clothes, because I had brought nothing else, and I didn't want to wear the same clothes for a month. That would be a nightmare. I turned and looked up at Kalona. "It's wonderful," I said, and then I thanked him for the first time ever.

He looked down at me. "You are pleased?"

"Yes, I love the room. Thank you," I said, not believing that I had repeated the words.

"You're welcome," he said, sounding genuinely happy for once. I wondered if this breach of character would ever happen again.

I turned away from him and walked towards the bed. I sat on the edge and looked over at a bookcase loaded with all sorts of books. At least I wouldn't be bored. However, upon looking around the room I realized that I didn't have my purse, which meant I didn't have my wallet, or cell phone or anything. This was a problem. However, I couldn't ask Kalona permission to retrieve them. He wouldn't let me go for an entire month. So I would be cut off from my friends and from Stark for an entire month. The thought was scary as hell. However, all I had to do was survive it and Kalona would never again be a threat to my friends or me.

I looked up at the winged immortal. His eyes were fixed on mine. He was not smiling, but had an odd look on his face. I couldn't tell what it was. Then he took a few steps towards the bed and sat down beside me. He draped his arm around my bare shoulders. "This will be your home for the next month. If there is anything you need all you have to do is ask. I can give you whatever you want. I can give you the world, if only you let me."

"I don't want the world. I want my freedom."

"You will have it in a month if that's what you desire, but I highly doubt it."

"I don't like guys who are cocky," I said. "You are sounding way too arrogant for my taste."

He gave me a playful smile, which was totally surprising. "Perhaps your tastes will change." Then he kissed leaned down and kissed me. My arms went around his neck, and his went around my waist. In a moment, he pulled me on top of him as he deepened our kiss. His wings folded around me, and I was caught in a double embrace. I pressed myself against him and he kissed me again, and a third time, and a forth time.

It took me a few moments to realize that what I was doing was totally wrong. I suddenly broke out of his double embrace. At first Kalona looked surprised, then angry. "What are you doing?" he demanded.

"It's what I'm not going to do that matters. I love Stark, and no amount of time spent with you will ever change that."

"Stark," he practically spat out the name as if it pained him to say it. "What could you possibly see in him that I do not have?"

"He love me, and he loves Nyx. You might love Nyx somewhere deep down, but you have forgotten that love. I would bet that you do not believe in love anymore. I would bet that you could never love me the way Stark does."

Kalona smiled down at me. "I will take that wager, and I shall be the victor. Your heart is the prize, and I shall earn it or steal it in our time together. If it comes to it, I shall do the latter. But for now, I will leave you alone. You are welcome to whatever you want in this house, Zoey. For I built it for you, to fit your comforts and desires, as well as my own. You know where to find me when you finally come to your senses." He kissed me on the forehead and just as he was about to walk through the door he turned and said, "Oh, and if you try to escape, there will be major consequences. Do not be a fool. Keep your word, Zoey, and no harm will ever come to you while I am around." Then he went back and kissed me so deeply and so passionately that it left me weak at the knees. I toppled over onto the soft black carpet. Kalona walked out of the room, threw back his head and laughed. Then he slammed the door.

Why was it that whenever Kalona chose to kiss me so deeply and so passionately that I would fall to the floor, trembling and weak kneed, while he simply walked away laughing. It had happened twice now, and I had a feeling it would be happening again. Treating me like this was a sport for Kalona. When he kissed me like that he made me question everything I know. What was worse was that his laughter showed that he was well aware of the turmoil he was causing in my heart. I knew that Kalona wouldn't be playing fair in the next month. I had to keep my defenses up. There was no way in hell that I was going to give Kalona the satisfaction of falling in love with him.

As I sat there, still weak from our kiss, I knew that the next month would be a battle. And for my friend's sakes, Stark's sake, and my own, it was a battle that I needed to win.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Okay, to anyone who might want to comment about the nature of this story, let me clue you in. This is a Zoey and Kalona story. I'm tied of getting anonymous comments about this story sucking because Zoey and Stark are not together. If you don't like the pairing then do not read beyond this point. Thanks. Happy Reading!**

**Kalona**

Kalona sat alone in his bedroom feeling certain that Zoey would come to him. He waited for an hour or so before he accepted the truth. She would not come to him. Not this night.

Still, he couldn't help but feel smug. He had taken Zoey away and she belonged to him for the next month, and he swore to himself that he would make her his forever.

The thought that she was downstairs, weak, vulnerable, and defenseless was incredibly satisfying. She would have been so easy to take. When she had her senses she had a talent for thwarting his pursuit, however, when he kissed her in a certain way, she crumpled before him, weak, and completely at his disposal. Kalona loved seeing this vulnerability. It was proof that no matter how much she tried to hide it, to deny it, they still had a connection, and when he tapped into that connection, she belonged to him. This had happened twice, and he had left her alone both times, so confident in the fact that he had reminded her who she would eventually be with. However, she was so close to him now. Neferet was not here to stand in his way, and Kalona longed to make Zoey his, well his in the physical sense.

Kalona stood up and walked slowly down the stairs. He was stealthy as he walked down the hall that lead to Zoey's room. He pushed the door open in a soundless fashion and moved towards her bed. She had fallen asleep, despite the early hour. (It was only about midnight).

Zoey looked as if she had flung herself in her bed and fell asleep instantly. Her limbs were bent as if broken; yet her face was beautiful and serene in slumber, despite the fact that she most likely wasn't serene in her dreams. Kalona knelt down beside the bed. With the lightest possible touch her began to trace the intricate patterns and designs of her sapphire tattoos. Her skin was like cream.

He ran his finger across the length of her body. Then he stood and stroked her cheek. He cupped her face in his hand and bent over to brush his lips against hers. She still did not awaken. He smiled slightly before kissing her again. Then he sat on the edge of her bed and slowly pulled her into his arms. Her skin was warm against his. He ran his hand through her thick veil of ebony hair, and still she slept. He felt as if he was holding and angel. Kalona bent over to kiss her again. Her eyes fluttered but did not open. "Stark," she murmured.

Kalona scowled down at her, knowing that she was not full aware of her situation. However, it angered him that she thought him to be her foolish Guardian. Jealousy filled his heart. If Zoey was truly in love with him, as Kalona sensed, than that would make his goal that much harder to achieve. Still, Kalona had never been one to back down from a challenge. "No," he said coldly, "it is someone much better."

Her eyes opened. As she realized who she was looking at, they narrowed. "I thought you were going to leave me alone."

Kalona smiled as he pulled her tightly against him in an iron embrace. "I lied," he whispered, his lips only centimeters from her ear.

Zoey somehow managed to break his embrace, but it took all her strength. She fell backwards onto the bed. Kalona laughed, "Your fighting will soon cease to be amusing my little Zoey. I could make this month hell for you."

"Umm, news flash, Kalona, I am going to be alone with you for a month. It's already hell."

Kalona laughed again. "Soon enough you will stop lying to yourself. I know what effect I have on you. I have seen it. Why exhaust yourself by fighting it? You could be using your energy for far more pleasurable things," he said with a suggestive grin.

"Okay, gross. I'm so not going there, especially not with you. I already made that mistake once with someone who was close to Neferet."

"Neferet has nothing to do with our situation. As for Loren Blake – "

**Zoey**

"There is no way in hell," I said cutting him off, "that we are having this conversation." I turned away from him.

Kalona's hands closed around my waist as he whipped me around to face him again. "Yes, Zoey, I think we are. Loren Blake did not care for you as I do. Loren Blake loved Neferet. I do not. Loren Blake was a weak fool who was meant for nothing save for serving the Tsi Sigli creature. I am an all powerful immortal."

"I said there is no way in hell I am having this conversation, because deep down, no matter what you say, you and Loren Blake are exactly the same. Now leave me alone."

"No," said Kalona coldly. "You and I shall be spending a lot of time together, and you shall open up to me in every way possible."

I rolled my eyes. "That's what you think, not what I think."

"You agreed to be with me for an entire month. I do hope you realize what that meant. For the next month, for all intents and purposes, I am your Consort."

"That's not what I agreed to. I said I would stay with you, not be with you."

"The exact words do not matter. I do not think you understand the gravity of your decision, of our agreement."

That just pissed me off. Kalona was trying to make me do things that I didn't want to do. First, he tried to get me to Do It with him, and now he was trying to get me to talk about my past mistakes with Loren Blake. That was messed up. I wasn't going to open up to him. I wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of knowing that thinking and talking about Loren still hurt. "I'm not having this discussion. I might be staying with you for the next month, but that doesn't mean I will open up to you or do anything else with you, I only agreed to this so you would finally leave my friends and me alone. Don't think for one second that I am even remotely interested in being with you. Because I'm not."

My confession definitely pissed him off. I could see a dark rage building in his eyes. But somehow he managed to control it. Instead he pulled me in for a single, deep, and wonderfully used kiss. My defenses crumpled as I stared into those gorgeous amber eyes. A smile twitched across his perfect lips. "Doesn't fighting me all the time get exhausting"

"Yes, but it's worth it. Sooner or later you will understand that there is no chance for us to be together."

"On the contrary, our resistance only makes me want you more. I have never failed at getting what I desire" His voice was filled with dark passion and subtle rage.

I suddenly got an idea. I smiled up at him. Inched closer to him. Our lips were centimeters apart. His opened slightly to accept my kiss. Instead I said, "There's a first time for everything." Then I turned away and got off the bed. "I'm going to take a shower," I said, "and I would prefer that you don't wait around in my room because that is seriously creepy."

Kalona laughed to hide his disappointment and rejection. "Well played, my dear Zoey. You shall prove to be a formidable opponent. But realize this. Enemies with such passion for one another often turn to lovers, and you shall be mine soon enough."

I laughed dismissively and left the room. I walked down the narrow hall to the other end where the bathroom was located. There was a bathtub the size of a hot tub. It was made out of shining white marble that glittered faintly in the fluorescent lighting. On a shelf there was an array of bubble bath and bath oils all lined up in a neat row. I went over and turned the silver faucet on and water started pouring out. While the tub was filling up I got an enormous, white, fluffy towel and placed it beside the tub and selected a few bath oils and some cucumber melon bubble bath from Bath & Body Works. I poured a bit into the steaming hot water and smiled as bubbles started to appear, then I poured in some lavender bath oil. When the tub was full I stripped off all of my clothes and stepped into the luxurious bath water.

I slid down until the water was just below my neck and leaned my head back against the cool marble. I sat there for a long time contemplating what the next month would be like. I was going to be living with my enemy, sure he claimed to love me, but I knew that it wasn't true. Stark loved me. Not Kalona. Thinking about Stark was pretty painful. I would have to do my best to hide my thoughts from him; otherwise he would come storming in to save me. Kalona would definitely pissed of if that happened, and he might make me stay with him longer. That couldn't happen. I just had to protect my thoughts and survive this month, and then Kalona would be out of my life forever. I had no intention of falling in love with him; I had no intention of bonding with him at all. I just had to survive my time with him and move on with my life. Then he would be out of it.

With that wonderful though I took a bottle of Paul Mitchell shampoo from a rack on the side of the tub and started washing my hair. After about ten minutes I was all washed and I stepped out of the tub, drained it and wrapped the towel around me. My thick hair was still dripping wet, so I wrapped that in a towel as well.

Then I went back to my room and finished towel-drying my hair. I went over to the dresser, opened the top drawer and was surprised to fin an array of camisoles and pajama bottoms. I slid on a black camisole and some silky pajama bottoms and went over to the vanity and retrieved a hairbrush. I sat on the edge of my bed with my back to the door. I didn't hear him come in as I ran the brush through my think hair trying to get it untangled.

I felt him run his fingers through my hair, and then I felt his and lightly caressing my neck. In a dark, seductive, voice he said, "You're dressed already. How disappointing."

I turned to him. His amber eyes locked with mine. There was a playful smile on his lips. "I'm not going to be doing anything with you anyway. Whether or not I have clothes on, so why don't you get over it?"

Kalona chuckled. "Oh, my dear Zoey, it is only your first night and you have already kissed me several times."

I glared at him. "You kissed me. I didn't kiss you at all. There is a huge difference."

He snaked his arm around my waist. "You wanted me to kiss you. You didn't fight me off until you thought about your foolish Stark. However, he will not stand in our way for long. Soon you will learn to forget about him as your lover, and you shall only think about him as a warrior who is bound to protect you forever."

"That's where you are wrong," I said pointedly. "Stark is going to be both. I don't need you to love me. You can't anyway."

He suddenly pulled me into his arms. "You know that I never back down from a challenge. You also know that Stark can protect you from everyone except me. Nothing will stop me from claiming what is meant to be mine."

"I'm not meant to be yours. Now let go of me. I'm tired and I want nothing more to do with you tonight. "

He did not let go of me though. Instead his arms tightened around me and he kissed me, on the lips, on the neck, on the forehead, and on the lips again, until I used him off of me. "Stop it. I'm serious."

"Don't act like you don't enjoy it, " he said against my lips before kissing me again.

That pissed me off. "Fire, come to me, make it hurt for him to touch me," I said.

Kalona's eyes narrowed, but the temptation in his eyes was clear. He dared to touch me again and winced in pain. But he didn't let that stop him from kissing me on the lips again. I could feel is body tense with pain. The fire burned but he didn't retreat as I hoped. So I rolled out from under him and stood up.

"Air," I called, "come to me."

Kalona laughed as he stood up. "Zoey, when will you understand that nothing will keep me from you? Not your Goddess, not your affinities for the elements, and not your precious Stark."

"Air and Fire, keep him away from me," I shouted as burning air blasted out from my open palms. Kalona was forced back and he slammed against the wall. His skin as bright red as if newly burned from a long day at the beach. He twitched in pain.

His eyes were fixed on mine. "That was a mistake, Zoey. A mistake that you shall pay dearly for."

"I'm not afraid of you, Kalona. I only agreed to this ridiculous deal so you would finally leave me alone. This is going to be a long month if you keep trying to get with me. I'm never going to be with you. Get it trough your head now so I don't have to kick your ass later."

Kalona stood up, took three large steps to close the distance between us. He gripped my wrists tightly. In fact his grip was so tight that after a moment I could feel circulation cut off. My arms were heavy, and he held on and tightened his grip. It was as if he had totally blocked my blood flow with his godlike strength. I tried hard not to show the pain I was feeling, but I winced.

There was a feral smile on his face. He was enjoying my pain. His grip tightened even more. I started to get lightheaded. Soon I couldn't even stand on my own. I felt myself fall forward. Kalona lifted me into his strong arms and noticed that my wrists hurt like hell and then I blacked out from dizziness.

-/-

When I finally regained consciousness, I noticed that I was not in my own bed. I rolled over and looked at the clock. It was freaking early and I just wanted to sleep. But I heard deep breathing from my other side. I rolled over and saw Kalona. To my horror he wasn't wearing anything at all.

I felt the color rise in my cheeks. I was used to seeing Kalona half naked, but this was just crazy. I turned away from the sight and looked down at my own body. A scream escaped my lips. I was wearing nothing at all. _Shit!_

I looked down at the floor and saw my pajamas, bra, and underwear in a pile at the end of the bed. Kalona's tight black jeans were flung carelessly beside them. I was confused for a moment, but then it really hit me. I couldn't help it. I screamed again. "Shit, shit, shit," I said aloud. Then I jumped out of bed and pulled on all of my clothes. I looked over at Kalona. He was soundly asleep and totally naked. "Oh Goddess!" I cried. To my relief he didn't awaken.

All I knew is that I had to get the hell out of here. I didn't care about my promise. Kalona had basically raped me and I didn't even remember it. That was the worst part. There was a slight chance that it had all been a ploy to make me crazy, but knowing Kalona I had a legitimate cause to be totally freaked out. The evidence was all there. I had blacked out and then when I woke up I was in his bed wearing nothing at all. He was also totally naked, and our clothes were flung on the floor.

No, no. No. This was terrible. I had done it with Kalona, and I didn't even remember doing it. This was the worst day of my life.

I bounded down the stairs and ran to the front door. It was locked and there was no way to open it. I ran around to the back door. It was locked as well. Then I ran back to the master bedroom and stepped out onto the roof. I ran over to the balcony and looked over the edge. There was no way I could jump. I was trapped with an evil winged immortal that had taken advantage of me. I fell to the cement and started screaming my frustration. After a few moments the screams gave way to burning, hot tears. I soon realized that this month was not a battle. It was a war and Kalona was not one to fight fair. I had just lost the first battle, and there would be battles that were even worse. This was going to be the worst month of my life. I felt horribly weak and defeated. I had just slept with Kalona against my will. At this point it didn't seem like I would survive. Kalona was going to kill me one way or another. He had already done something horrible, and it would only get worse.

I was doomed.


	12. Chapter 12

**Stark**

Stark heard screaming in his head. He woke up instantly and rolled over. Zoey was gone. Stark tried to think of where she might be. The last he remembered was that she had gone out for some air. Had she ever come back?

Shit!

Stark threw off the covers and bolted out of the room. No one was awake in the tunnels. It was too early. It was only about 5:00 in the morning. Stark ran to Stevie Rae's room and saw the raven perched on her bedside table. He had to remind himself that it was Rephaim. Stevie Rae was sleeping peacefully with her enormous comforter tugged up to her neck.

Stark knew how much it sucked to be woken up at such an early hour, especially when there was no school. But he was starting to panic, especially when he felt a jolt of fear and sorrow burst through his heart. Zoey was in trouble, and they needed to find her as soon as possible.

Stark gently shook Stevie Rae awake. She rolled over and looked up at him. "Stark," she mumbled, "what's wrong?"

"Zoey's gone."

That immediately got her attention. She sat up immediately. "What are you talking about?"

"I heard screaming in my head, woke up, and realized that Zoey wasn't in our room. I have a bad feeling about this."

As usual, Stevie Rae tried to stay calm. "You know Zoey, she likes going out for some air. She's probably just outside. It is pretty dank here in these tunnels, and Zoey isn't used to it like I am."

Stark shook his head. "That's the thing, Zoey was all freaked out last night. Then she went to get some air. I don't think she ever came back. I'm her Guardian, and I have a feeling she's in danger."

"What? She went out alone, last night, like after sunset?"

"Yeah," said Stark. "It was midnight."

"Oh crap," said Stevie Rae. "She went outside alone with Neferet running around like a crazy woman?"

"Not to mention Kalona," said Stark, thinking of what had happened a few nights ago, but not willing to mention the specifics to Stevie Rae.

Stevie Rae shifted her weight nervously and glanced over at Rephaim, which drew Stark's suspicion. However, the suspicion was replaced with a greater worry for Zoey, and Stevie Rae's rational words didn't help. In fact, they provoked his fear. "I don't think we have to worry about Kalona anymore. He isn't with Neferet, and he didn't try anything with Zoey last time he was at the House of Night. It's Neferet we need to worry about. She wants Zoey dead."

"That's why we need to find her!" He turned to start the search, but Stevie Rae stood up and seized his shoulder.

"Okay, Stark, calm down. Before we start freaking out, lets split up and search the tunnels. If we don't find her, we will wake everyone up and figure out what to do from there."

"Stevie Rae, how can you not be freaking out? Zoey is in danger."

"You don't know that for sure," reasoned Stevie Rae. Okay, Ill take the back half of the tunnels and you take the half near the depot. We'll find her."

Stark wasn't convinced, but he turned and bolted out of the room.

**Stevie Rae**

Stevie Rae looked over at Rephaim, perched on her bedside table. She wished that the sun was about to rise, but it was still a couple hours away. She would have to wait to question him. Did he have something to do with this? She thought of the desperate request he had made. It had seemed ludicrous at the time. In fact, it still did, but it would explain Zoey's bizarre disappearance. Had he helped his father take Zoey away?

No, no. Rephaim wouldn't do that. He might have wanted to get his father a second chance, but he wouldn't allow him to kidnap her. Rephaim wouldn't impede on someone's free will like that. However, no matter what Stevie Rae thought to reassure herself, she still couldn't fight away a feeling that something was wrong.

The more Stevie Rae thought about it, the more worried she became. Rephaim had just recently joined the side of the Goddess, he hadn't fully accepted Light. Besides that, Stevie Rae knew that Rephaim wanted his father to be with Zoey, because for some reason he believed that it would make everything better. She also knew that he still had some kind of loyalty to Kalona, despite everything that had happened.

So, Stevie Rae knew she would have to question Rephaim about this if they didn't find Zoey today. Even though she tried do deny it, she feared that deep down, she knew the truth. Rephaim was somehow involved in Zoey's disappearance.

However, she had bigger issues to focus on. Perhaps there was a chance she would find Zoey. Maybe Rephaim was innocent, and even if he wasn't, well, she would cross that bridge when she came to that.

**Kalona**

When Kalona awakened Zoey was not lying beside him. Her place beside him was vacated, but only recently. He had been discovered.

The winged immortal stood up and put his pants back on. He noticed that Zoey's clothes were no longer on the floor. She had woken up and realized her, or rather their, situation. Kalona laughed slightly when he looked out through the sliding glass doors to see Zoey crumpled on the roof. She had put on her clothes and was kneeling on the cold cement, probably sobbing.

Kalona laughed again. He had finally defeated Zoey. He had punished her with a single flawless ruse just as he had intended.

Ah, yes. He had made her black out, and then he had taken her up to his room. He remembered tearing the clothes off her body and admiring her perfect and lovely form. Then he had removed his own clothes and he had fallen asleep with the knowledge that when Zoey woke up she would be totally defeated.

Oh yes. Kalona knew the power of appearances, and he knew what falsehoods could do to people, especially if they were convincing enough. Mortals were so easy to fool. He hated to think that the woman he wanted was also weak and foolish because of her mortality, however, after some time with him, he could teach her not to be so susceptible to things.

He had not made love to Zoey last night, even though the temptation had been terrible. The sight of her lying beside him, so vulnerable, was almost too much to bear. After all, he wanted to make her his more than anything. However, taking her then and there would have been too easy. He knew eventually he would convince her to willingly make love to him, but for now, he had only made her believe that she already had. That had to be enough for the time being.

By the way she was kneeling on the roof, he knew that his plan had succeeded. Although it occurred to him that she was out on the roof because she had tried to escape. Kalona was instantly relieved that Zoey hadn't jumped off the roof in a desperate attempt to escape the penthouse. Of course, he would have gone after her, and he would have punished her further for disobeying him, but this made things so much easier. He really didn't want to deal with a physically broken woman, for he guessed that she was already broken because of last night. The knowledge gave him great joy, and he would continue to make her suffer until she would bend to his will.

Kalona laughed again as he went out to the roof. The sun was still up, but he knew it would set within the hour.

He could hear Zoey crying. Her pain gave him some pleasure. It only meant that he had truly been victorious. He knelt beside her and pushed her hair to one side. He kissed her neck and then swept her into his arms.

She did not open her eyes, but Kalona knew that she was awake. Zoey had pretended to be asleep before, the night when she almost died.

She was so incredibly beautiful, even when she was utterly defeated and broken. But he would repair her and she would be eternally grateful to him. She would do whatever he wished. Kalona remembered the previous night well. Seeing her lying naked beside him had awakened a burning desire deep within his heart, a desire he had not felt since Nyx and A-ya. He longed to take her, but what was the fun in that? Besides, he wanted to have her when she wanted him. While he knew that she did, deep down, Zoey had not admitted her desires. She had done everything in her power to resist him, and for a while, Kalona had allowed her to do so.

However, last night, he had gotten a dose of revenge, and it had been glorious. This was the starting point of a new beginning. He had thirty days to make her admit her love for him. He had thirty days to make her his forever. Well, he might as well start now, before incredible anger had time to consume Zoey's heart. Which he knew it would, for he had convinced her that they had done the worst imaginable thing together. But for now she was to distraught to realize her anger, and when the anger came and after it faded, there would be nothing left in her heart but pure passion and raw desire.

For he already had that passion and desire for Zoey. Love, well he did not have that, and he wasn't sure if he would ever have those feelings for her. Still, possession was all that mattered now. When he was more secure of her, there might be time to fall in love, if it was even possible. But he had to win her first, and he didn't have that much time.

Kalona set Zoey down gently on the bed. Then he lay down on the other side of her. He caressed her cheek with one finger, which traced over her lips and down her slender neck. He wondered how long she would pretend to be asleep. He inched closer to her and slid his hand about an inch down her shirt. This was as far as she would let him go. Her eyes opened, and as soon as she realized who he was, she said, "I hate you."

He smiled and placed a quick kiss upon her lips. "I know," he replied. "But for the record, you certainly didn't hate me last night. In fact, I got the feeling that you were very much in love with me. You, my dear Zoey, we absolutely amazing last night. It is a shame you do not remember how much fun we had."

**Zoey**

Kalona's words seriously pissed me off. "You sicken me," I said. Then I got out of his bed and scowled at him. "I hate you so much, and no matter what happened last night, I will never stop hating you. I don't care if I agreed to stay with you for a month. I'm not staying here another day." I whirled around and bolted down the stairs.

However, since Kalona was unfreakingbelieveably fast he was behind me about a second later. "You are not going anywhere, Zoey," he growled. "You are to honor our agreement."

I whirled around again and stared him down, not even caring that I only had the powers of the elements to protect me. I realized that Kalona was infinitely more powerful than I could ever hope to be. I knew I should feel totally helpless, just as I had weeks before, but that didn't even matter at the moment, I was too angry to care, because he had slept with me last night. He had done the worst thing imaginable, and I seriously doubted he could do anything worse, and I was determined to get the hell out of here no matter what Kalona said or wanted, and it was time to tell him that. "Or what? What could you possibly do to me that is worse than what you already did to me." The fear I felt deep down was masked by a veil of anger.

Kalona scowled back at me and I wondered if he saw through my façade. "Do not test me, Zoey. I am willing to do whatever it takes to make you mine."

"News flash, Kalona. I'm never going to be with you. Especially after last night."

"You're wrong. Last night only enforced the fact that you will soon belong to me, whether you like it or not."

"No," I screamed. "I will never be with you. The only way I would be with you is if you totally took away my free will. Why can't you understand? How long do I have to fight against you to make you realize the truth."

"Don't be stupid. You know nothing of truth, Zoey Redbird. I sense the truth, and you may hate me now, but deep down, you love me, and deep down, you wanted what happened last night to happen ever since we met. Besides, I would never take away your free will. You wouldn't be nearly as desirable without it. It gives you spirit. It makes you powerful."

WTF! Was Kalona on crack or did he seriously believe what he was saying to me? "No, you are seriously disturbed. This whole thing was a mistake. Like I have said, I have my free will, which means I will never choose you and I'm getting out of here, and I don't care what you say." Then I pushed past him and went to the door, which for some odd reason was unlocked. I opened the door and was about to take a step outside, not even caring that I had no Idea where I was. All that mattered as getting away from Kalona. However, he stopped me.

Kalona sounded majorly pissed off as he spoke. His dark rage hit my body like an earthquake. "If you break our agreement, then I swear to you that you will never again see your precious Stark alive."

I froze. It was as if Kalona had just thrown a knife in my back. I couldn't move. The fear I felt was paralyzing. I stood there like an idiot for a few moments before my mind started functioning again. Would Kalona really kill Stark? No. I already knew the answer. He had killed Heath. Nothing would stop him from killing Stark. I turned to face him. "You wouldn't," I said softly.

"Oh I would, Zoey, and if you don't believe me step outside, and I assure you that your Guardian will be dead within the hour."

"No. You can't. You wouldn't," I said helplessly.

"As I said, Zoey, I will do anything to make you mine."

"You can't force me to love you, Kalona. You can't steal my heart."

"You will find that I am capable of anything. I do not want to kill your Guardian. That would make winning your heart a lot more difficult, but I swear to you that if you leave me, I shall kill him. Surely you don't want Stark to die. I do not want to kill him either. He is very powerful. It would be a shame to waste such power."

I knew now that Kalona was totally serious about his threat. I was the only one who could save Stark from death. If I survived this month then Kalona would be out of my life forever and I could finally just be with Stark. If I didn't, then Stark would pay the price. I couldn't risk that. Stark was too important: I loved him too much. I closed the door and then turned back to Kalona. "I hate you so much," I said coldly.

He only smiled. "I know," he said. Then he laughed and closed the distance between us. He pressed me firmly against the door and I heard a small click as he locked it. Then his eyes locked with mine. I felt as if they were piercing my very soul. I tried to look away, but despite his threat, Kalona had awaked something deep within me. Something that I had to extinguish before it consumed me. I thought his miraculous appeal had shattered the day he had tried to kill Darius. But now, to my horror, it was reassembled, and a small part of me longed for him. A small part of me belonged with him. It was that part of me that kept my eyes locked with his.

His lips twisted into a horrible, triumphant smile. He knew he had won this battle. I could see it in his eyes. His cockiness made me sick to my stomach, but his words were worse. "Now apologize to me, Zoey, for almost running away."

I gawked at him for a moment as I tried to process his bizarre request. Before speaking I tired to slow my rapidly beating heart. "I have nothing to apologize for, Kalona," I spat back at him.

His smile widened. "I know that deep down you regret your threat. That is enough for me. Now let us kiss and make up."

"I'm not kissing you ever again," I said stubbornly, even though deep down that I wanted to, and I knew full well that he had me trapped in a deadly embrace and that he could kiss me at any time. Which when I stopped thinking about our situation rationally, didn't even seem so bad. Luckily, I wasn't going to let a small longing for Kalona cloud my judgment. I knew what I stood for, and I knew the effect his kisses had on me. I couldn't afford to have my reason replaced with some kind of freaky ancient passion.

Kalona shook his head, and then he leaned in and kissed me right on the lips. His kiss was warm and inviting at first, and to my dismay I took the invitation without hesitation. Before I knew it despite all my anger towards him, my arms were around his neck as I accepted his kiss. At the same time I cursed the part of me that still wanted him, amazed that a part of me that was so insignificantly small was influencing me so much.

I felt his arms tighten around me, scorching my skin through my tank top. He deepened out kiss and the tenderness disappeared and was replaced with a cold, hard, passion. I couldn't help but swoon as my feeling began to mirror his in a single instant. I fell into his chest and the heat of his skin scalded mine. The pain was unbearable, yet at this point; it would have been unbearable to break the kiss. We were pressed against each other and I was surprised to find how perfectly our bodies fit together, as if we were two halves of a whole. We fit together to fit something that would have been tragic to break.

No. I shoved the deadly thought from my mind. I couldn't think of how a part of me wanted Kalona. I couldn't think that way at all. My other half was Stark and there was no way in hell that Kalona will ever come between us.

However, it was amazing what power a single kiss could have. When we finally broke apart, I wanted him to kiss me again. But that only lasted a second. "I hate you," I repeated sounding like a broken record.

"You shall not hate me forever." He smiled as if he knew something that I did not. It was infuriating. "Now, my dear Zoey, you had a long night, and I am sure you are quite exhausted. So, why don't you go to your room and rest?" He asked, and suddenly he sounded so sweet and so sincere, even though I knew that he was mocking me. He looked about twenty, the perfect age for me, and he was smiling warmly down at me. He was so gorgeous, and he definitely seemed to be a better match from me than Stark at this particular moment. The thought almost made me sick

"Come on, Zoey. Even a high priestess needs her rest. When you wake up I shall have breakfast ready for you. No go rest, and I shall come for you later."

I rolled my eyes and tried to control my anger. "You are despicable," I said, trying to sound as pissed off as possible. But I was so wiped out and weakened from our kiss that I just sounded slightly annoyed. He laughed at my weakness.

"And you are beautiful when you are angry," he said.

I rolled my eyes yet again. "Well, I guess I am going to be beautiful all the time."

"I can live with that, now get to your room. But first, wait, one more thing," he snaked his arms around me, cupped my butt, (eesh) and kissed me deeply for a moment. It was quite disgusting. Yet again, he made me swoon. I hated him when he did that. I looked up at him. "You seriously need to stop doing that," I said. Again, I was pissed, but I only sounded annoyed.

He flashed me an impish smile. "I'll stop when you ask me to stop and you actually mean it. Now, Zoey, I'm serious. Go to bed, or I'll take you up to my bed." He paused, and then added, "Actually, I think I quite like the alternative," he said, squeezing my hand in his, and then acting as if he was about to lead me upstairs.

I sighed and shook him off. "Well, I hate the alternative. See you later." I saw the disappointment on his face, but he quickly hid it. Then I turned away. I could feel his gaze burning into my back as I walked away.

When I got to my room, I burst into tears. I hate crying because whenever I cry, as Heath liked to point out, nasty snot poured out of my nose. Now that I didn't have Heath around I didn't have the Kleenex he used to always carry in case of emergencies. Thinking about Heath's silly habit made me miss him, but it also made me miss Stark, who had adopted Heath's habit ever since our return from the Otherworld. The day seemed like a lifetime ago.

Why was it that I wasn't with a guy I actually loved? Instead I was spending the next month with an ancient evil immortal. Plus, he really, really enjoyed kissing me and making me doubt everything I believed in. As much as I hated to admit it, I loved it when he kissed me as well.

That's when it occurred to me that I might be trapped with Kalona, but I didn't actually have to be with him. So that was when I got the brilliant idea to barricade myself in my room. Sure Kalona would be seriously pissed off. I didn't even care that Kalona had godlike strength and could probably break down a blocked door if he wanted to. However, I was too excited about my idea. I shut the door and amazingly, despite the fact that I wasn't very strong, I pushed the dresser and the bookshelf in front of it, blocking its potential to be opened.

Relieved that I might actually get Kalona to leave me alone for once in my life, I was finally able to relax. I went over to the bookshelf and took a copy of _Pride and Prejudice._ I hopped into bed and slid in between the covers, after a few long moments of reading, I was finally able to doze off with the knowledge that Kalona wouldn't be Doing me in my sleep.


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: There are refrences to **_**Pride and Prejudice **_**in this chapter**__**just because I'm a nerd and I've been reading it for Engligh. So with that in min d, read, relax, and review.**

**Zoey**

I had woken up a few hours ago and I sat reading _Pride and Prejudice_ surprised to find that Mr. Darcy reminded me a lot of Kalona. Mr. Darcy was confident, cocky, and arrogant and shared an array of other traits with Kalona. At the same time, I couldn't help but compare myself to Elizabeth, even though she was much stronger than I felt. I couldn't do what she did. I couldn't so fully reject Kalona as she rejected Mr. Darcy after his proposal. I was suddenly glad that this was fiction and probably didn't have much insight into my current predicament. Still, I couldn't shake the feeling that my predicament would end up just like the novel, with everyone conforming and getting married. Because, I definitely didn't want to fall in love and be with Kalona forever. Though come to think about it, it was the same with Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy, and look what happened to them. They ended up married and in love.

I was so perplexed by the comparison between my situation and Elizabeth's that I didn't even hear someone knocking on my door. Instead I just held the book in my hand and hoped that the ending of my situation would not be parallel to the ending of _Pride and Prejudice._

"Zoey," said Kalona, sounding annoyed.

I looked up from my book and was reminded that the dresser and the bookshelf blocked the was a huge relief and I chose not to respond and continued to read a book in which I already knew everything that happened. Hell, anything was better than talking to Kalona through a blocked door.

"Zoey, I know you are awake in there. Open this door."

I couldn't help but laugh. "I can't," I said.

"Why," I could hear the rage embodied in a single word.

"Well, I'm really not that strong. I already moved all my furniture to block the door. I don't think I feel like moving the furniture back. I'm too tired." I laughed again.

"This isn't funny, Zoey. Now open this door."

"I already told you. I can't move the dresser and book shelf on my own again."

"I grow tired of this, Zoey. Open this door or there will be trouble."

"You know what Kalona," I said, "I already went through the trouble of moving the furniture so you couldn't get in. This means I don't want to see you or spend time with you. When will you get the message?"

"I will not be treated like this in my own house, Zoey."

"Well, if you let me go, I wouldn't be treating you like this. But, I'm stuck here for the next month, so get used to bean treated like crap, because you already did the worst thing possible to me, and every time you kiss me, I feel like crap. So I really don't feel like being nice to you. But since I'm stuck here for the next month, this is how it's going to be. So get over it."

"You are being a fool."

"Nope, I'm being rational. I'm cutting myself off from you. I don't need you clouding my judgment."

"That wasn't our agreement. You and I are to be together for the next thirty days."

"No. I only agreed to stay with you. I don't need you in my life. I love Stark, and it's going to stay that way."

"If you are so confident that nothing will change your love for Stark, then why should you worry about my actions impairing your judgment? If you are irrevocably in love with him, then spending time with me shouldn't matter. So it come to this. I think you are hiding from me because you are unwilling to face the truth. You are already in love with me. You are just too stubborn and afraid to admit it."

That comment pissed me off. I could hear the satisfaction in his voice. I wanted to take away that satisfaction. "That's what you think," I called.

"It's what I know. If you want to prove me wrong then why don't you actually do what you agree to do? Spend the next thirty days with me. Get to know me, learn to see who I could be if you accepted me. If you are truly not in love with me then at the end of thirty days I will release you and I shall never interfere with your relationship with your Guardian. I will never pursue you again. If you happen to fall in love with me then we can be together forever. Either way you win."

Even though I hated to admit it, there was truth in Kalona's words. I got up and it took about five minutes to move back the furniture. I opened the door and looked up at Kalona. He was smiling slightly. "So, you will do as you agreed?" he asked.

"There are some conditions," I said. "Come on." I went back to my bed and sat down. I looked pointedly at him and then next to me.

He sat down next to me and was about to put his arm around me, but I gave him a look that stopped the movement.

"First of all, you can't be all over me. I hate the possessive crap and the arrogance, because Kalona, you are not going to get what you want. I'm not going to be with you, and I don't want to worry about constantly getting groped. That's just gross."

I saw disappointment flash through Kalona's eyes, but he did not protest.

"In addition to that, I'm not going to sleep with you. You already took advantage of me, and as much as I hate you for it and even though I know I will probably never forgive you for it, I know that I need to stay here for the next month."

He scowled down at the floor.

"Finally, realize that the only reason I agreed to come here with you is to get you out of my life. The only reason I am going to stay is to save Stark's life. I have no desire to ever be with you. So with that said let's just survive this month."

Kalona smiled at me. "It won't be hard for me to survive, even with your limitations."

I rolled my eyes, "Oh please, you can't even go a day without kissing me."

He shook his head. "I could. I just choose not to." He smiled at me and moved closer.

"Sure," I said, and then I looked back at him. "If you are so confident what if we make it a bet?" 

"I don't know if that is a bet I am willing to take. What are the stakes?"

I considered it for a moment, trying to think of something that wouldn't be too ridiculous. "If you can keep from kissing me for the next twenty-four hours, after that I will let you kiss me any time you want in the next twenty-four hours. If you can't keep from kissing me, that after you lose the best you cant kiss me for an entire week."

Kalona gave me an odd look, but I could tell he wanted to take the bet. As he said: he wasn't one to back down from a challenge. "Let me get this straight, If I do not kiss you for a single day, then the next day I can kiss you any time I want and as often as I wish?"

I smiled. "Yes, but you're going to lose and then you wont be kissing me for an entire week."

"The stakes are too high for me to lose. A week is too long." His gorgeous amber eyes locked with mine as if they were searching for some indication that I wanted him to win.

"This is where you and I disagree. A week is not long enough." I said, reinforcing the fact that I most definitely didn't want him to win our wager.

"That might be what you say, but it is not what you believe. I will take your bet on one condition. "

"What's that?" I asked.

"You let me kiss you right now."

I sighed. "I guess I can do that."

Kalona laughed and pulled me into his arms. "Get ready for a kiss that will leave you begging for more." Then he leaned in and kissed me like he had never kissed me before.

The kiss was not demanding and full of lust. Somehow it was sweet, innocent and pure. Yet, it was totally passionate and for once I actually let him keep the kiss going. My heart felt like it was melting from the heat of his bare skin, but it was melting in the best of ways. A rush of adrenaline jolted through my body and I leaned into him. I heard him moan slightly. Or maybe that was me. Either way, when he broke our kiss, I was definitely upset. In fact, I leaned in hoping he would kiss me again.

Kalona's laughter caught my attention. "No, my dear little Zoey. We cannot kiss for the next twenty-four hours. Remember, it was your idea, so you are not only punishing me, but also yourself. But do not worry. Twenty-four hours from now, we shall be able to kiss as much as we like."

I scowled at him. Even though I hated to admit it, he had been true to his word. He had kissed me in such a way that made me want more, and deep within my heart, there was a part of me that regretted making a bet with him. There was apart of me that just wanted to keep kissing him again and again.

By the look he was giving me, I could tell that Kalona could sense my slight regret. He pulled me close to him and held me tightly in his well-muscled arms. "Already having second thoughts? Do not worry. The time will fly by and these twenty-four hours will be insignificant after a few, long, wonderful weeks together."

I pushed away from him. "I'm not having second thoughts," I lied.

"Whatever you say," he said. Then he threw back his gorgeous head and laughed openly at my slight regret.

After a moment he refocused his attention on the open book that was on the bed. "What were you reading?"

"A love story," I said absentmindedly. "You wouldn't have liked it. I'm sure you haven't done much reading."

"No," he said. "Books were little more than nonexistent in Nyx's realm. As for when I was freed from my earthly prison, they didn't seem worth spending time on."

I looked at him, shocked. "So you have never read for fun? Can you even read?"

He rolled his eyes. "Of course I can read. But reading for pleasure is trivial and a waste of time."

"You don't know what you are missing, Kalona. There are entire worlds in books. They are an escape from reality."

"I have never wanted to escape reality. I have always been one to focus on the task at hand."

"Wow. Well since you are no longer with Neferet and you are no longer bent on world domination you will need to find ways to keep yourself entertained in your immortal life. Books are timeless."

"I have something to keep myself entertained," he said, "or rather someone."

"You are only going to have me for the next thirty days. Then I'm gone."

"I think you will choose to stay," he said, looking as if he really wanted to kiss me. But of course he couldn't. I knew that he was determined to win our little bet.

I was actually rather impressed at his will power. However, I was sure that he would lose the bet, so I decided to tease him. I leaned in so that our lips were only an inch away. "Let's just say that against all odds I decide to stay with you. Well, there is more to a relationship than just sex." I then got so close that it was practically impossible for him not to kiss me. "I don't think you could handle a functional relationship with me. You are way too physical for my taste."

Kalona smiled at me. "I think I could handle anything if you would agree to be with me."

"You're just saying that," I said. "You don't really mean it."

He wrapped his arms around me. "Maybe. Maybe not. I'll give you a chance to find out though."

"I don't think I like you enough to try and find out. Actually, I know I don't like you enough to find out."

"That hurts, Zoey," he said sarcastically. He was smiling sown at me.

"Yeah. I can see you are really beat up about it."

"I am," he said. Then he flashed a suggestive grin at me. "But you will just have to make up for it tomorrow."

"You aren't going to win the bet."

"I will," he said.

"Whatever," I broke out of his arms, grabbed the book, and threw it at him. "Read this. It will keep you distracted from kissing me. It might help you win the bet."

"You are giving me something to help me win? You must really want me to kiss you then."

"Nope. I said it might help you, and I am pretty confident that you won't be winning this bet."

He took the book from me, stood up and pulled me into his arms. He was about to kiss me, but then he stopped himself and settled for holding me close to him for a few long moments.

"You may be right, Zoey. Spending time with you, I am too tempted to kiss you. However, after today, I have a feeling you will want me to kiss you all the time, any time. I am betting that you will miss our moments of passion."

"That's a bet you are going to lose. I don't like kissing you. Have fun reading." Then we turned away from each other and he stalked out of my room with the book in hand.

I wandered back over to my bed and got underneath the covers, and I suddenly felt super relieved that Kalona wouldn't be kissing me for the next few hours, and then when he lost the bet he wouldn't be able to kiss me for a full week.

The thought of that, however, deep down, was kind of sad. I hated the fact that Kalona could kiss me in such a way that left me wanting more. Sometimes when he kissed me I was able to resist him, but other times, his kisses melted my resistance. They made me realize that maybe there was a small change that Kalona really could change if I accepted him. What was worse, they made me want to accept him. They made me see that a lifetime of being with him wouldn't be enough. I hated when he did that. But for the next twenty-four hours he wouldn't be kissing me. He wouldn't be clouding my judgment. I knew that I could not let my broken attraction for him reassemble, because even though I hated to admit it, I had come pretty darn close to repairing it and accepting him.

**Kalona**

Kalona finished the book within a few hours. It hadn't served as a good distraction. For he couldn't help to see similarities between his situation and the situation in the book. Zoey was like Elizabeth, and he was Mr. Darcy. Elizabeth, like Zoey was determined not to love a man who had proposed to her. Of course, in the end, they ended up together, as if it was destined.

Kalona couldn't help thinking that this was a sign from Zoey. A sign of the possibilities. Because out of all the books Zoey could have chosen to give to him, she had chosen a love story, and a complicated one at that. Even if it wasn't meant as a sign, Kalona chose to take it as one. It only confirmed his suspicions that deep down in her heart Zoey wanted to be with him.

He had sensed it when he kissed her. She had reacted differently to his kiss, and he knew that she had wanted to kiss him again. Perhaps that was the key. Zoey wanted a man who was dedicated to the goddess. She wanted a man who was gentle, kind, and sensitive. She wanted a man who could make her happy in every way possible. Kalona knew that he was none of those things, even though he remembered a time, centuries ago, when he had once possessed these qualities.

He had possessed those qualities when he was with Nyx. Now he suddenly realized that within the past twenty-four hours, something had began to change. He wanted the Goddess's forgiveness, and he wanted her love, but he did not want her to love him as a mate or a Consort. Instead, he wanted Zoey to love him as a mate, as a Consort. He didn't love her yet, and he didn't know why he wanted love. He had not wanted such a thing in centuries. Something had changed within him. However, he didn't know what, and honestly he didn't care. All that mattered was that he was finally coming to grips with his reality.

Zoey Redbird would be with him, and now he realized that he couldn't steal her heart. He had to woo her. He had to persuade her to fall in love with me. She was truly in love with Stark. She had proven that to him when she had submitted to his will. He had threatened Stark's life and she had obeyed him.

Instead, Kalona knew that he would have to convince Zoey to redirect her love for Stark to him. It wasn't an impossible task, but it would prove to be extremely difficult. To achieve such a feat, Kalona would have to become the man he had been centuries ago. He would have to become the man that had been dedicated to the goddess. After centuries of Darkness, he wasn't sure that it was even possible. However, there was too much at stake. He had to make the change. He had to become the man that Zoey wanted. He desperately wanted to spend the res of his time on earth with Zoey, which was peculiar, because never had he wanted a moral woman in this way. But Zoey was more than that, she was more or less the reincarnate of Nyx.

Winning the bet would be the first step. It would convince her that he had more than lust for her. Kalona picked up the book and began to reread it. He wondered if there was anything within the volume that could help him with his pursuit. For Darcy, was like him in many ways, Kalona, however, was just more extreme. Zoey had given him the book for a reason. It was a sign. Kalona laughed. Reading was a peculiar pass time. However, it was not without its charms and Kalona could see why mortals actually spent their time reading the written word. For even though it was an escape from reality, he could see that there were aspects that reflected the real world.

**Stevie Rae**

"Rephaim," said Stevie Rae, "where is Zoey?"

Stevie Rae locked eyes with the newly transformed Rephaim. He didn't meet her eyes. "Rephaim, I won't get mad if you tell me the truth. I'm upset, but if you have a good explanation I will find some way to forgive you."

It took a moment for Rephaim to finally face Stevie Rae. "I didn't force Zoey to do anything. I sent her outside where my father was waiting and he offered her a deal. She took the deal and now she's gone."

Stevie Rae was defiantly shocked by the revlation. This was definitely unexpected. "What kind of deal?" asked Stevie Rae.

"As I understand it my father proposed that he would take Zoey away for a month and if they didn't fall in love in a month's time he would release her and he would never pursue her ever again. If she didn't fall in love with him, then he agreed to step out of her life forever."

"Oh Rephaim, do you mean to say that Zoey will be alone with your father for an entire month? You were apart of this scheme? How could you?"

"I didn't force her to do anything. She willingly agreed to go with him. Besides, I made him promise to only keep her for a month. If she does not come back by then, you and I shall go to his residence and take her back. "

"How can you trust him after all that happened?"

Rephaim took Stevie Rae's hands in his. "Despite all that has happened, he is still my father. I only want my father to find love. I want him to be as lucky as I was. He swore to me, and he swore to Zoey, that if she still didn't want him after a month of alone time that he would let her go and never bother her, or us, or any of your friends ever again. I already told you that he was a treat. After this he will cease to be a threat."

Stevie Rae wasn't fully convinced. "Do you truly believe they could fall in love?"

"I don't know," Rephaim admitted. "But I never thought that we would fall in love either. But against all odds we did. Look how happy we are. I just want the same thing for my father. Everyone deserves love, even my father. Do you hate me?"

Stevie Rae threw her arms around his neck. "I could never hate you. You are too wonderful and kind. I'm just scared for Zoey."

"He won't hurt her," said Rephaim, "he just wants to be with her."

"Do you know where they are?"

"They are living in a penthouse somewhere near here. It is in some kind of forest, but I don't know the exact location. I assure you that she will be safe."

"Well, we have to tell people."

"No," said Rephaim quickly. "We can't. Stark will just go try to save her. As far as I know, my father and Zoey made an agreement. If that agreement is broken there is no telling what will happen. I can't risk my father hurting anyone. He wont hurt Zoey, and he won't hurt you, but if anyone else tries to interfere, the consequences could be disastrous."

Rephaim spoke the truth, and Stevie Rae could not deny it. Still, she didn't feel really good about lying to everyone. However, at least she knew where Zoey was and what she was doing. But that meant she would have to lie to her friends for a month. "I really don't feel good about this. But I will agree to it, as long as you check on her every week. We have to make sure nothing terrible happens to Zoey. I know she can take care of herself, but I'm still worried."

"Okay," said Rephaim. "That is a good idea. So we will keep this secret?"

"Yes," said Stevie Rae. Even though she was still incredibly upset with Rephaim's deception, she had forgiven him, and she trusted him. "I love you," she whispered.

Rephaim smiled at her and kissed her forehead. "I didn't think you would say that. I love you all the more now."

With that, Rephaim and Stevie Rae were the only ones who knew anything about Zoey's disappearance. Stevie Rae just hoped that the decision to stay silent wouldn't have dire consequences.


	14. Chapter 14

A/N Kalona is a very good actor in this chapter. Read, relax, review. Happy Reading!

**Zoey**

My day without Kalona had been rather uneventful. I sat in my room reading for a while and the found a little portable DVD player and a stash of DVD's at the bottom of the bookshelf. I spent a few hours watching random chick flicks, all the while expecting Kalona to come busting into my room and lose our bet. But no, he didn't come in like some character directly out of a chick flick and cry out how much he loved me and kiss me passionately, therefore losing the bet. Now I was incredibly shocked. I rolled over and looked at the clock on my bedside table. 8:00 A.M. flashed back at me that meant that I had a couple hours until bedtime, and more or less, in twelve hours my bet with Kalona would be over. If he didn't kiss me in the next twelve hours, which probably wouldn't be that hard to do because we would be sleeping for nine of them, he would win the bet. The thought honestly scared the hell out of me, because if he won, the next day he would be able to kiss me as much as he wanted.

This thought was super scary, and the worst part was that part of me wanted him to win our bet. Part of me wanted to kiss him over and over again. At the same time, I wanted to go up to his room and try and make him lose the bet. Then my judgment and my heart would be safe from his passions for an entire week.

However, in the next moment my stomach growled and I realized that I hadn't eaten anything in the past two days. I had more or less been living off bottled water.

With that I closed the DVD player and got out of the bed. I looked down and realized that I was still in my pajamas. It didn't really matter since I was going to bed again soon anyway. I suddenly realized that the majority of the past forty-eight hours had been spent in bed. It didn't really matter, its not like I could leave the penthouse anyway, and I didn't have anyone to do anything with, besides Kalona, and I was determined not to get involved with him, despite my promise, and despite the fact that deep down I really, really wanted to spend time with him.

I flung open my bedroom door and walked down to the small kitchen. I half expected Kalona to be sitting at the small kitchen table, but he wasn't. The kitchen was deserted.

I wandered over to the fridge and to my relief found it stocked with brown pop. I remembered what Kalona said about him building the penthouse to fit my desires. Well, he had been right about that. Oh goddess, he was a god. I grabbed a can of brown pop and drank it down greedily. Then I grabbed a baggie of blood and sucked it down like a Capri Sun. yeah, I know that sounds nasty, but it was so good. I finally grabbed another brown pop, found a bagel in the breadbox and also a bag of nacho cheese Doritos. I brought my munchies back to my room and ate them slowly.

After all of that I had only wasted about a half an hour.

I sighed and tried to think of something fun to do. Also, I had to think of something that would force Kalona to lose the bet. So with that I decided to jump in the shower. I knew, based on chick flicks, how guys reacted to wet girls wrapped only in a towel, and even though I knew that I wasn't sexy or seductive, I hoped it would be enough to make Kalona kiss me so he couldn't do so for the next week.

In fifteen minutes I was clean and out of the shower. I took an enormous, fluffy, white towel and wrapped it tightly around me. My hair hung dripping wet down my bare back. I felt like an empowered heroine in a cheesy chick flick as I tiptoed up to Kalona's room. The door was shut so I knocked softly.

"Come in," he called.

I opened the door and stepped into his room.

Kalona was stretched out on his bed wearing nothing but silky black pajama bottoms. Honestly, he looked really hot just lying there with a book in his hand. He wasn't coming on to me . . . yet. He just looked completely relaxed, and suddenly I wanted to be relaxing with him. I pushed the dangerous thought out of my head, however, and smiled down at him. "Hey," I said.

Kalona looked up at me. When he realized what I was wearing (or not wearing to be precise) an expression of mild surprise covered his gorgeous features. "What are you doing?" he asked, sounding mildly amused.

In my best flirty voice I said, "I got lonely."

He smiled. "You were lonely? So you got out of the shower and came up to see me?"

"Well, the shower was very lonely," I said, trying to sound flirty. However, I felt as if I just sounded ridiculous.

The look on Kalona's face confirmed that I was not at all flirty or seductive. In fact, he was practically laughing at me, which confirmed that I was just being ridiculous. I suddenly felt ashamed of myself, however, I was determined to make him lose the bet.

Kalona laughed and shook his head. "Zoey, I know what you are doing. It's not going to work."

I smiled slightly and walked over to him. I sat on the edge of the bed and then I leaned back until my shoulders were leaning against his bare chest. I threw back my head and looked directly into his amber eyes. "Why not? I asked.

"It's not worth it," he said simply. If I gave into temptation now, I'll have to fight it off for an entire week. Now why don't you be a good girl and go to bed. When you wake up we can kiss all you want."

"I don't want that. I want you to kiss me right now."

"No, you don't. You just think you do. Honestly, if I kissed you now, we both would regret it."

I scowled up at him and sat up. "You know you want to."

"I never said I didn't want to. But I would rather wait. I'm going to win our little wager." He then put his hands on my shoulders and pulled me down into his arms. His eyes locked with mine and suddenly our lips were only centimeters apart. "You want me to win deep down. I am not one to disappoint, and I am not one to lose. Now go to bed, and I will see you in the morning."

I scowled up at him. "I hate you."

"No you don't," he said.

Despite myself I smiled. "Fine. I really, really dislike you."

"I'll take that for now since you are clearly upset. Now go downstairs. I'll see you in the morning."

"Whatever," I said as I got up and left the room.

-/-

When I was back in my room it was about ten o'clock in the morning. I put on a different pair of pajamas and slid under the covers feeling totally defeated. Now I was almost certain that Kalona would win our bet. Tomorrow would be a totally long make out day, which honesty was a double-edged sword.

On the one hand, no matter how much I hated to admit it. I wanted him to win the bet. I wanted to keep my promise and spend time getting to know him. I already had really strong feelings for him, even though I didn't want them and I didn't know quite what they were. Still, I wanted a chance to find out because deep down a part of me knew I was supposed to end up with him, despite all that he was. Deep down I had a feeling that Kalona really could change for me. After all, love was a powerful force. It could totally change people for the better. Also, I knew that things would be infinitely easier if I ended up with Kalona, because despite his promise to leave me alone after a month, I didn't really believe that he would stop chasing after me, no matter what he said. So the rational thing to do was to let myself fall in love with him.

However, I was in love with Stark, and that meant that I needed to resist Kalona in every way possible while still keeping my agreement with Kalona. I knew that I would probably be happier with Stark. My life would seem more normal. However, I couldn't help but think that even if I ended up with Kalona, I would always have Stark in my life. After all, he was my Guardian. So no matter what, Stark would always be with me in one way or another.

That being said, I didn't fall asleep until noon. I kept thinking about Kalona, even though I totally didn't want to.

**Kalona**

Kalona sat in his bed waiting for the bet to be over. He hadn't slept all night and now it was 7:00 P.M. In an hour he would be the victor.

Kalona laughed as he remembered Zoey, dripping wet, in nothing but a towel. It had all been a strategy to break his resistance. However, much to Zoey's disappointment, he had resisted the temptation and thwarted Zoey's attempts for sabotage. In an hour or so he would reap the benefits of his victory. Oh how sweet this single victory would be.

Zoey's attempt at sabotage was laughable. Yet, Kalona had to wonder why she was so intent on making him lose the bet. Had she realized that he really could exercise self-control? Is that why she had come to him wearing practically nothing at all? Mortal women were so foolish. They imitated the modern media. They were not rational or realistic. Yet, despite these flaws, Kalona knew that he still wanted Zoey to be his, after spending a few months with him plus as she grew up, Zoey would become less weak, less foolish.

However, maybe it wasn't a bad thing that Kalona would be spending his life with a mortal. He had been so used to Nyx and when he had fallen he had just terrorized and conquered Indian villages. He had pillaged and plundered, but never had he actually gotten to know a human woman. Of course, Zoey was more than a human, but she was mortal, maybe it was a mortal dedicated to Nyx that could put him back on the right path.

Kalona sat alone thinking of Zoey. He constantly looked over his shoulder at the clock, which was ticking closer to his time with Zoey. For an hour he was a man obsessed, and he was beginning to see the dangers of falling for Zoey. However, he didn't even care, because in his mind, she was the only mortal woman who was worth feeling for. Still, feeling this way, when he hadn't in so long, was strange.

Finally the twenty-four hours of the bet had elapsed. Kalona smiled as he stood up and changed into a pair of tight black jeans. Then he went over to his bathroom and combed through his thick dark hair. He brushed his already shining teeth until they glistened and then he sprayed himself with Axe, a human concoction that women loved, well according to Neferet anyway. Zoey would be powerless to resist, and even if she did resist, he would get to remind her that he had won the bet. Kalona laughed. How sweet the next twenty-four hours would be.

Kalona walked down the stairs, then down the hall that lead to Zoey's room. He quietly opened the door. Then he walked over to the side of her bed and smiled down at the sleeping fledgling. Again, she looked like an angel, and she was an angel that he would make his.

Kalona sat on the edge of the bed and lifted Zoey into his arms. He bent down and brushed his lips across hers. Her eyes fluttered open. She smiled. "You lost the bet," she said.

Kalona laughed. "No. I won. Look at the clock."

**Zoey**

I looked over at the clock and then back at Kalona. "Damn," I whispered.

"Don't act like you are upset about this, Zoey. You're not a very good actress," he said, smiling down at me, openly teasing me.

"So, it's you and me for the next twenty-four hours," I said, trying to sound angry about it, but yet again I only ended up sounding slightly annoyed.

He laughed. "No. It's you and me for the next twenty-nine days." Then he kissed me.

"I really don't want to make out for the next twenty-four hours. How about you go on the bet a little longer and I'll think of a different reward."

"You don't really want me to stop, Zoey."

Then he kissed me like he did the previous day. I melted in his arms and threw my arms around his neck. The familiar rush of adrenaline jolted through by body, but it was also laced with a forbidden desire, and I couldn't tell if the desire was his or mine. It didn't matter at the moment, because he kept kissing me, and all my rational senses were blurred, however my passionate senses were heightened. I leaned into him and allowed him to deepen the kiss. He was still being uncharacteristically gentle and kind. He rand his hand down my back and then he pulled me closer to him until I was sitting in his lap.

It was at that moment when I caught a whiff of his Axe. If it weren't for the fact that my lips were locked with his, I would have smiled. Kalona thought using Axe would weaken my resistance. Well, he was right, as much as I hated to admit it, my defenses were totally weakened. Even though I should be freaking out because of it, at the moment, when he kissed e like this, I didn't even care.

When he finally broke the kiss, I'll admit that I was pretty bummed.

He smiled at me. "Oh, Zoey, see what can happened when you don't fight against me. Couldn't you just act like there is a chance for us to fall in love?"

"I don't want to fall in love with you, Kalona," I said softly.

"I know you don't," he said, "but would it be so bad if you did?"

He sounded so gentle, so sincere, and so kind. However, I had to remind myself that this was an act. I had seen it before. Kalona really wasn't this kind. "You're not really this nice, Kalona. You are totally devoted to Darkness. You are fully against Nyx. I can't be with a guy like that."

"I have already offered to change for you, Zoey. I assure you that I can."

"I don't think you can. You are just not that guy. I just don't want to be with you. I don't want to fall in love with you."

"Well we are together for the next month, Zoey, and don't you agree that you are much happier when you are not constantly fighting against me?"

"I guess so," I admitted. "It is a lot more less exhausting. But if I let my guard down there is no telling what might happen. I love Stark. I don't want that to change."

"Stark," repeated Kalona. "You are still hung up on him. Allow me to ease your mind."

Then he kissed me again. Even though I knew he was jealous and pissed off he still kept the kiss gently and inviting. I couldn't help but melt in his arms again. He was getting good at taking down my defenses. Now all that was left to do was repair the broken shards of the attraction I felt for him. Then I thought, would it really be that bad? Kalona had made two very important points. I was happier when I wasn't constantly fighting against him. He also had made an intriguing point; it truly wouldn't be so bad if I just acted as if we had a chance to fall in love.

Kalona's kiss managed something I thought to be impossible. He broke my defenses and made me realize that even though I was totally dedicated to Stark, the next month with Kalona didn't have to be hell. So for the next month, I would act as if Kalona and I had a chance, even though we didn't. After all, he had surprised me by showing that he could keep from kissing me for an entire day. Maybe this showed potential. With my mind made up I broke our kiss.

"Okay, Kalona, you win. I'm not going to fight against you. I'm going to try and get along with you. But I'm not promising anything."

"This is all I could hope for at this point in time," said Kalona. Then he kissed me again.

"I'm not going to sleep with you," I paused, " again."

"Again?"

I was taken aback by the question in his voice and by the confused expression in his gorgeous eyes. "I'm not going to sleep with you, especially after you forced me to."

"Oh," he said, "Right. Of course. No, you don't have to if you don't want to."

"Right," I said. However, something was suspicious. Kalona had acted as if he had forgotten what he had done. Maybe it had been a ruse. Of course, I didn't know for sure, so for now I would act as if I had slept with him, and I would find out the truth after I got know him, and maybe, if even possible, after I learned to trust him.

"Let's play a game," I said.

"What," asked Kalona.

"Let's play a game. It's called truth or dare. Granted, it's not as fun with only two, but it might help us get to know each other."

"Fine, let's do it. But first, one more thing." He leaned in and kissed me again.

When he broke the kiss, I laughed. "I know you won the bet, but do you have to kiss me every minute?"

"Oh Zoey, I could just be making out wit you and only coming up for air. However, I think you would resent me if I did that."

"I would resent you," I said.

"I know," he said, "which I why I am only kissing you when I have to."

"Oh, well that's really refreshing," I said.

"I know," he laughed. "Now let's play your game."

"Okay, you can go first. Truth or Dare. If you pick truth I get to ask you a question and you have to tell the truth no matter what. If you pick dare I get to tell you to do something and you have to do it no matter what."

"Well, then I pick dare."

I smiled, and it occurred to me that there wasn't much I could dare him to do, because usually teen dares had something to do with kissing ort prank calls. So even though my dare, by teen standards, was totally lame I told him to do it anyway. "Go outside and find me some roses."

"Wild roses?"

"Well yeah, I don't expect you to go out to the grocery store and get me some."

"Well, if you want roses, then I shall get you some." He stood up and before he left, he kissed me on the forehead. "I'll be back soon. Don't go anywhere."

As he walked out of the room, despite myself I whispered, "Hurry back."

-/-

WTF? What was I doing? Why was I acting so open minded? I didn't want to fall for Kalona. I had to promise myself that I wouldn't. However, I couldn't deny that I really liked the way Kalona was acting right now. However, I had to remind myself it was just an act. If he acted like this for the next couple weeks the n maybe there was a chance that he could change. However, I hadn't spent enough time with him to know for sure. I highly doubted that Kalona could be a truly sweet, gentle and kind guy. But maybe against all odds he could be. Well I had a month to find out. Even of he was, I was determined not to fall for him.

However, when he came back with a vase overflowing with beautiful, red, wild roses I couldn't help but feel touched. I had no idea where he had managed to find them in the middle of Tulsa, but he had surprised me in one of the best ways possible.

He got down on one knee and presented the roses to me. It was so dorky and cheesy that I couldn't help but laugh. "You are ridiculous." I put them on my bedside table.

His eyes narrowed. "You dare to call me ridiculous?" He sounded like his old self for a split second, but I soon realized he was joking. "Okay, now it's your turn. Truth or dare?"

"I'll match you dare for dare."

"Kiss me," he said.

I frowned. "Can't you be more original?"

"No. Never once have you kissed me. I have always been the one to kiss you, and even though there have been times where you haven't fought me off, you have never once willingly kissed me."

"You understand that it's a dare. I won't be doing it because I want to."

"Of course, but for once you will be the ne to kiss me."

I rolled my eyes. "You are ridiculous." Then I leaned in and kissed him right on the lips.

When we pulled apart I asked, "Truth or dare?"

"Truth," he said.

"Why do you want to be with me?"

"You are beautiful. You are powerful. You are wonderful. You are the closet thing in this world to Nyx."

"Well, I guess I already knew that, can I ask you something else?"

"I don't think that is how the game works."

"You're right, but can you make an exception for me, just this once."

"I guess so. Ask me anything you want."

"Do you really think that we could fall in love?"

Kalona smiled sown at me and pulled him into his arms. He brushed back a long strand of hair out of my face. "I think that I could fall in love with you. I already have strong feelings for you. I don't know what they are. But I can tell you this, you are the only woman since Nyx and A-ya that I have actually had feeling for. Even though I have no idea what they are they could develop into something meaningful. They could turn to love. As for you, well forgive me if I assume wrong, but I think that you have strong, unknown feelings for me as well. I can sense it every time we kiss. Perhaps if you opened your mind and really got to know me and if I showed you who I could be with you by my side, you could fall in love with me, and I could fall in love with you."

I looked up at him. "Are you always this articulate?"

"I have a way with words. I have the wisdom of the ages. Yet I never get older. I am the perfect age for you."

"Answer my question."

"Yes, I am always this articulate. But understand that when I tried to get to you before my words were just words, now they are supported with truth. I no longer am trying to seduce you. I truly want you to be with me."

"Really? Is that what you really want?"

"Yes," he said.

"Okay, well you know how you said that for now you will only kiss me when you have to?"

He flashed me a brilliant smile. "Yes."

"Well, now you have to kiss me."

He laughed. "As you wish," then he pulled me close to him and kissed me.


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N This is what I like to call the Twenty Question Transition/filler chapter. If I don't update for a while Its because I'm still trying to figure out where I want this story to go. Wish me luck for a speedy update, but for now: Read, relax, and review!**

**Kalona**

_Take her._

The voice of Kalona's real self demanded. Kalona was reminded that the act of a good sensitive guy was good for getting attention from Zoey, but that if he continued to hide under this façade Zoey would fall in love with someone who wasn't the real Kalona.

That wasn't the point, he knew. He needed to show her everything that he truly was, while showing her all that he could be. He couldn't play the part of this weak innocent, sensitive man. Instead, he must be himself, and learn to change for the better. For the stakes were too high.

Kalona looked down at Zoey who he was holding in his arms. He suddenly let his true self overshadow the man, that for the last few hours, he had flawlessly pretended to be. He kissed her, but there was nothing gentle and inviting about its nature, it was rough and demanding, as per usual.

Then, as expected Zoey pushed away from him. "What are you doing? She asked. I thought you were different today. You have been so sweet today."

**Zoey**

Kalona scowled down at me, and when he spoke, his annoyance and slight anger were reflected in his dark voice. "How could you be so foolish? As if people can change in a mere few days. Don't tell me that you really believed I was already starting to change."

An alarm went off in my head. My suspicions were confirmed; Kalona wasn't the guy he had been pretending to be. Of course it was obvious. Why would he be? If I had the power to change him, as he claimed, it wouldn't have taken effect so quickly. I had been an idiot. I had let the false Kalona get in too close. Oh please," I countered quickly, "I was just humoring you."

Kalona laughed openly at my retort. "Oh Zoey, you fell for my ploy hook, line, and sinker. This just proves that I can get you to believe anything."

"No way," I shot back. "Um, you can leave me alone now."

"No. I get to kiss you as much as I want for the next twenty hours. I'm not going to waste any of that time."

"Ugh, you are so sick and wrong on so many levels."

"I won the bet," said Kalona, "It's my right. I shall take what I deserve."

"I hate you."

"No you don't," he said.

"You don't know me," I grumbled.

"You don't know me," he repeated, mocking me.

"Okay, so we don't know each other. I have another game to fix that. Because if I'm going to be with you for the next twenty eight days then I need to get to know you. Whether I like it or not."

"No more of your games, Zoey," he said.

"If we play the game I'll always let you kiss me, as long as you are not on me twenty-four-seven."

"I don't believe you. You're already backing out of the other deal."

"Come on," I said, "It's in your favor."

"Fine, but first come here," then he pulled me into his arms and kissed me.

I didn't give him the chance to make me feel anything with the kiss before I pushed him away. "We haven't played yet," I reminded him.

"You ruin everything," he said.

"Yet, you still want to be with me."

"Yes," he admitted, "and sometimes I wish I didn't."

"Well I wish you didn't want to be with me all the time."

"No you don't," he said. "Let's play your foolish game."

"It's called twenty questions. We each get to ask each other twenty questions. Usually they are yes or no questions, but for our purposes they don't have to be. I'll let you go first."

"Why don't you want to be with me?"

I looked at him and couldn't believe he just asked that. "You can't be serious. I don't want to be with you because you are totally evil. You already knew that and you wasted a question."

Kalona scowled at me. "Your turn."

"What's your favorite color?"

"Really? You are wasting a question on something trivial?"

"Just answer it," I said.

"Fine. Black."

"It figures. I just wasted a question too."

"Looks like we do know a little something about each other."

-/-

Two hours later we each had three questions left.

Surprisingly the game was rather enjoyable. I actually learned a lot, which was surprising. I had learned that Kalona had spent time in every country, he had never loved any human woman, he had hated his time with Neferet, and also a bunch of random things like his favorite color, season, country, element, and such.

Kalona hadn't really gotten the point of the game. He had used his questions to question me about our possible relationship, or my relationship with Stark. Whenever I answered questions about Stark I could see him tense up. His fists would clench, and his eyes would narrow.

Now we were down to our final three questions. I had to make them count and I knew just what I wanted to ask. "Okay," I said, "If after this month I chose not to be with you, would you actually stop going after me?"

"Probably not. I might leave you alone for awhile, but eventually I would come for you again."

I sighed. "So you lied to me."

"Yes, but I'm telling you the truth now, so what does it matter. Anyway, I know you will choose to be with me. Which brings me to my question. "Do you acknowledge that your life would be safer and easier or you if you accepted me?"

"Yes, it definitely would be. But that doesn't change the fact that I still don't want to. Would you actually kill Stark if I tried to run away?"

"Before I answer that you must answer this. If I told you I wouldn't kill Stark would you still try and run away?"

"No. It would piss you off and make things worse for everyone."

"Then I wouldn't kill Stark. It would destroy you and you would never accept me."

"Very true. You already killed Heath. I don't know that I can be with you, even now."

"You didn't love Heath the way you love Stark. You repaired your broken spirit in the Otherworld. I remember all too well. You wouldn't have asked me to bring back Heath. You only asked me to bring back Stark."

"You couldn't have brought back Heath."

"Maybe I could have. But you don't want him back anyway. So it doesn't matter anymore."

I sighed. "Okay one more question left. Ask away."

"Do you deny your feelings for me so you can resist me?"

I swallowed and looked away from him. He gripped my hand and urged me to answer the question. "Yes," I finally answered.

He smiled. "I knew it."

"Whatever. Okay. Here is my last question. Did you and I really sleep together two nights ago?"

It was Kalona's turn to look away. I took his hand. "Come on, tell me the truth," I urged.

"No," he said.

That one little word rocked my world. It felt as if a weight had been lifted off my shoulders.


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N Okay. Now it's time to fast forward two weeks! Because, honestly, a day-by-day analysis of their time together what's happening in the tunnels would get boring. So after the first Zoey section, I am officially fast-forwarding two weeks! Read, Relax, and Review! Happy Reading! **

**Zoey**

"You're an asshole," I said. "You should leave now."

"Oh Zoey, let's not do this now," Kalona was smiling down at me.

I didn't know why he was smiling. I didn't see anything to smile about. Kalona had lied to me and he had totally freaked me out. It amazed me that Kalona could be so calm about this whole thing. It was also pretty unnerving, and it confirmed that Kalona was a huge jerk. "No," I said, "we are going to do this now. You lied about something major. You are totally screwed up. I don't think I can forgive you."

"Zoey, why are you so difficult? You say you can't forgive me for sleeping with you, and then you find out that I didn't and you can't forgive me for lying. It is infuriating."

"You clearly lack experience in honesty. Well, unless you start being honest with me, there is no way in hell that this is going to work. Anyway, the odds of this working out are already slim to none."

Kalona frowned. "Zoey, don't say that. That's a lie. You and I both know that we have a chance."

"Nope. And unless you start to change we definitely don't have a chance."

"Now you're lying to me. You have feelings for me."

"Yes, I do," I admitted, "but I'm not going to act on those feelings if you don't try and change how you act. Besides, if you act like an evil jerk, you are so not going to fit in with my life. So here's my ultimatum. You try and change, you try and get back to the path of the Goddess, and then I'll give you a chance. You have twenty-eight days to try and make this work. I'm willing to work with you, despite all my better instincts, but you have to put in you share of effort."

"Zoey, this is ridiculous. Come here," he pulled me into his arms and kissed me.

I pushed him away.

He scowled at me. "Zoey, why must you be so infuriating?" he demanded.

"You wanted to be with a regular mortal woman and this is what you get, so deal with it."

"I hate you right now," he said.

"No you don't," I shot back, throwing back his typical response.

This made him smile for some reason. "Well played Zoey, well played."

"Whatever," I said. "Please leave. I'm tired."

"You're not," he said. "You just want me to leave you alone until I can change."

"You read my mind," I said. "Anyway, you can't change. So if I have things my way, you'll be leaving me alone for the rest of our time together."

"We'll see about that," he said. Then he looked down at me. A smile on his perfect lips. He leaned in and kissed me deeply for a few, long, wonderful moments. When he pulled away, I wanted him to kiss me again. But he smiled, turned away and left my room laughing. I hated when he did that.

**Stevie Rae**

Zoey had been missing for two weeks now. Stark was a basket case; when Aphrodite and the Twins weren't decorating they were totally freaking out, (Stevie Rae suspected that they were using the decorating to get their minds of Z). Damien was even more upset then usual, and was too distraught by the loss of Jack and the fact that Zoey was missing, that he couldn't even be bothered. Darius was levelheaded as usual, but still incredibly worried, and the out of the red vamps, only Kramisha really seemed to be worried. The others just kept saying that Z could take care of herself.

There were only two people who really knew where Zoey was and who she was with. Stevie Rae was growing guiltier and guiltier every day. Rephaim had kept her from confessing to everyone so far, but Stevie Rae couldn't suppress the urge to tell everyone the truth.

It was Tuesday, and it had been exactly two weeks since Zoey had disappeared. Rephaim had checked on her once, as promised. He had done so a week ago, and when he returned, it had taken Stevie Rae awhile to get the story out of him.

Still, she remembered every detail and description.

-/-

Rephaim arrived at the hidden penthouse. He knocked on the door. It was answered by Kalona, who had looked stunned to see his son. "What are you doing here?" He had demanded.

Rephaim answered, "This was the only way I could be sure that Stevie Rae wouldn't reveal what you were up to. She made me promise to check in on you every week. She is really worried, and quite frankly so am I. It has never taken you this long to get something that you wanted."

Kalona scowled at his son. "Well, you can tell the Red One that she need not worry about Zoey. She is perfectly safe, and she will stay that way."

Kalona was about to shut the door, but Rephaim had blocked it. "No. That is not good enough. I want to see her. I need to be sure that you have not harmed her. If she is hurt then it will be my fault."

"I told you that I did not harm her. I do not plan on harming her either. She is perfectly safe. You must go now."

"If I leave now, when I come again next week you must let me see her. And right now you must give me a report on your progress."

"I don't have to tell you anything. You have no right to order me around." Kalona spat.

"Tell me, or I swear I will tell Stark where Zoey is."

Kalona's amber eyes had narrowed at his son's threat. "You wouldn't."

"I would," answered Rephaim.

"Fine. Zoey and I had a falling out, and until I change, she shall not give me a chance. But I am slowly wearing her down."

"Don't do anything you will regret, father. Do not turn to your old and familiar ways. If you want Zoey, which I know you do, then you must do as she says. You must change. But do you swear that she is unharmed?'

"Yes," said Kalona. "I would not harm her. You know this. As for my methods of swaying her to be mine, well, that is my business, and you do not need to concern yourself with my methods."

"I know what you are capable of, which is why next time I visit, I insist on seeing her."

"Fine," Kalona hastily agreed. "Leave me now. You have a curfew. The sun will rise in a few hours."

Rephaim nodded. "I will see you next week."

Kalona had slammed the door. Rephaim had left the penthouse, and for some reason he trusted that Kalona had kept Zoey safe.

-/-

Stevie Rae didn't trust Kalona one bit. However, she did trust Rephaim, and if Rephaim trusted his father, then she had to trust his judgment. Still, she was skeptical. Which is why she had been avoiding Rephaim. It hurt her, and she knew it hurt him, but sometimes she was just so upset with his choice, and so frightened of the repercussions of their decision to keep a secret.

However, thanks to their Imprint, Rephaim sensed when Stevie Rae was really upset. He often came to comfort her, even if he was the cause of some of her distress.

Now, as she sat on her bed thinking of all Rephaim had told her, was one of those times.

He pushed aside the dark blue curtain that separated her room from the rest of the underground tunnels. "Hey," he said, trying to sound casual.

She barely looked up at him.

He came down and sat by her. "I know you are worried, and upset. But so am I. It hurts me when you are hurting. But you know that this is necessary. My father needs to be dealt with, and one way or another, Zoey is basically the only one who can do it." He draped his arm around her shoulders and noticed that she was shaking slightly.

After a few moments she looked up at him. There was a single tear in her eyes. "I know you are right. But this feels so wrong. How can you trust your father? Zoey could be hurt!"

"My father wouldn't harm her. That would only make winning her harder for him."

Stevie Rae frowned. "You can't win a person, Rephaim. I know you understand that, but Kalona totally doesn't."

"I know, but if my father doesn't have his way he will forever continue to be a threat to everyone. Anyway. I will go to the penthouse tomorrow night. He said I could see Zoey then. He promised, and he will keep his word. Or else, we have the right to tell Stark and the others."

"I already know what the Twins and Aphrodite would say if the found out. After the initial shock of the revelation wore off they would just start making jokes about Zoey shacking up with and immortal hottie. That would only make Stark angrier. Oh Goddess, he is going to hate mw forever when he finds out the truth. He's already turning into a basket case without her. I wish there was some way to let him know that she was safe."

"You know there isn't. We can't tell anyone anything without causing suspicion."

Stevie Rae knew that Rephaim was right, but still. She hated to see Stark in pain. At least the others had things to do so they could once in awhile get their minds of Z's disappearance. But Stark was literally going insane. From sunset to sunrise he was searching for Zoey outside of the tunnels. When the sun rose he would come down to the tunnels, even more pissed off and frantic than he had left.

It appeared that Zoey had somehow managed to close off her mind to him. Stevie Rae was eternally grateful for this. Despite the deep connection that Zoey and Stark shared, Zoey had somehow managed to lock away her mind. Stevie Rae suspected she did so to prevent mortifying and angering Stark. Zoey had the same motives that she and Rephaim had. They all wanted to let Kalona have his way so they could be rid of him once and for all. Either that, or Kalona would be converted to the side of the Goddess. But she doubted that.

"Anything is possible," said Rephaim, sensing her thoughts. "Stranger things have happened. Look at us."

Stevie Rae couldn't help but smile. "I know you are right Rephaim. But you are going to see Zoey tomorrow. You promise?"

Rephaim smiled at her and wrapped his arms tightly around her and pulled her close. His lips brushed her forehead. "I promise. I'll bet that Zoey is safe. She is pretty tough. She has already beaten my father before. I'll bet that she is taking care of herself."

"I hope so."

"Try not to worry about it, Stevie Rae. Tomorrow we shall have an update. As for the others, we must pretend that we know nothing,"

"I know. I just hope this doesn't get all screwed up. It feels so wrong."

Rephaim put his finger on her lips to silence her. Then he held her close, and ran his hand down her back. The motion calmed her and she leaned into him. Despite herself, her troubles melted away for a few brief moments, and she was content.

**A/N: Sorry that this is another filler/transition chapter. I had a lot of trouble deciding what to do. But now I think I have a pretty good Idea for the next few chapters! **


	17. Chapter 17

**Zoey**

Two weeks of my captivity had gone by. To my surprise they hadn't been the worst two weeks of my life. In fact, I really wasn't having a miserable time. Sure I missed my friends and Stark like crazy, and Kalona was my only company. But beyond that, it wasn't too bad.

The penthouse we were staying in was actually quite wonderful. I sat out on the roof every night. I hadn't noticed it that first time when I had been trying to escape, but there was an enormous hot tub. So of course a soak in the hot tub with one of the many books from the shelf in my bedroom became a nightly ritual. Yes, I did wear very skimpy bikini, something that wasn't really m taste, but it seemed that string bikinis were the only ones in my dresser. So it had to do over the other option, which was going nude. Like that would ever happen. Especially with Kalona always skulking around trying to catch me off guard.

Another surprise was the fact that Kalona hadn't really spent much time with me in the past two weeks. Ever since we had that argument he often just sat around in his room, moping. Which totally was unlike him.

As I sat in the hot tub for the twelfth time in a row, this time I had _Slaughterhouse Five,_ my mind wandered from Billy Pilgrim's alien abduction to Kalona. We only spent a little time together each day, and during that short time period I could tell that Kalona was trying to watch what he was saying and he was also really trying to keep his hands off me.

Of course, he failed miserably every single time at one point or another, but he was starting to last a little bit longer each time. It was strange, and throughout his struggles I could see the dark frustration bubbling within his gorgeous amber eyes.

I sat there thinking about calling him out here with me. He had never interrupted my nightly rituals, which was also another strange blessing. However, this time I think I wanted him to. I wanted to see how long he could keep himself from saying something and sounding like a total asshole, and how long he could go without trying to kiss me.

I smiled as I remembered what he had said about my bikinis. I was walking barefoot through the penthouse with an enormous fluffy towel slung over my shoulder. Of course I had to go through his room to get to the roof, and the towel, bug as it was, wasn't exactly covering me.

Kalona's deep laughter rumbled behind me and I turned to face him. He was sitting n the bed, his head cradled by his interlocking fingers. There was a smile on those perfect lips of his. His eyes were fixed on me. I vaguely wondered how long he would last without being a jerk. He had kept silent for a moment, his eyes glinting mischievously as he looked me over. "You didn't have to get all dressed . . . down for me. But since you did why don't you come over here." He opened his arms as if he expected me to run into them and throw my arms around his neck.

I rolled my eyes. "No, This isn't for you. It's for the hot tub."

A fake look of disappointment crossed over his face. "Oh. Well it seems that the hot tub is luckier than I am."

"Pretty much," I said, unfazed by his disappointed façade. I turned away from him and walked out to the roof. I could feel his eyes on me the entire time, but by some miracle he didn't come out to try and join me.

To my surprise he had been a gentleman.

The memory faded and I looked over my shoulder, and through the sliding glass door. Kalona was sitting on his bed, watching me, and making no attempt to hide it. I suddenly realized that maybe tonight I wanted him to join me. After all, he had almost been a gentleman for the last couple of weeks. Well, as much of a gentleman as he could have been, which wasn't much at all. But still. He was trying, which I found surprising. Maybe he really did want this to work out.

I was about to call out to him, but his name stuck in my throat as I thought of Stark. He would hate it if he knew I was starting not to hate Kalona. Oddly enough, I realized that I didn't miss Stark as much as I thought I would this far down the road. I missed my friends like crazy, which included Stark, but I wasn't longing to be with him. On the other hand I wasn't longing to be with Kalona . . . or was I?

I smiled as I realized that Kalona hadn't kissed me since last week. We had been fighting because once again he was being a jerk about Stark, and he was totally being a cocky and inconsiderate asshole.

The memory came to me. "I can make you forget about Stark, you know. You don't have to miss him when you have someone so much better to be with."

I looked up from my book. "Oh really? I don't see anyone."

The comment pissed him off and set him off on a trash-talking rant about Stark, which in turn set me into defense mode. I wasn't going to let him talk about Stark like that.

But as his insults became less hurtful, my defenses weakened. We were both sick of fighting after nearly an hour of the angry exchange. What happened next was so cheesy it was worthy of its own scene in a chick flick.

I collapsed in his arms and he kissed me. At first the kiss was filled with angry passion, but then it changed. The anger was gone and I detected something strange, as if the kiss was Kalona's way of asking for my forgiveness. Even stranger, I gave it to him and kissed him back.

The memory faded and was replaced with gut-wrenching guilt. I didn't really miss Stark, and whenever Kalona and I fought about him, the fights ended with kissing, and sometimes a little bit more.

"Kalona, come out here," I called before I could stop myself.

Kalona heard my call and smiled as he swung his legs over the edge of his enormous bed. He walked out onto the roof and I turned over in the hot tub to face him.

He did look pretty damn hot. As usual he wasn't wearing a shirt. His feet were bare, and tight black jeans hugged every curve of his perfect form. His hair, midnight black, hung loosely at his shoulders. His amber eyes glinted with some strange emotion as he looked down at me. "Yes?" he finally said.

"Nothing really," I murmured.

"You missed me," he said, smiling down at me.

"Nope," I said. "I just though I would humor you and let you join me out here."

"And disturb your nightly ritual? Why would I want to do that?"

"Because you always do," I said.

"Is it that obvious," he asked, sounding strange. I knew he was teasing me, but I also knew that teasing was so not Kalona's style. Maybe he was actually starting to be somewhat normal.

"Yes. It's very obvious. You are always watching me through the glass door."

Kalona raised a perfectly shaped eyebrow. "It appears I have been caught in the act. What is my punishment?"

"I don't know," I said.

He grinned down at me. "I have an idea." He got down on his knees and cupped my face in one of his strong hands. Then he suddenly kissed me. A shot of adrenaline jolted through my body. I suddenly threw my wet arms around his neck.

His hand slid to the back of mine as he leaned in further. The kiss lasted a few, long, wonderful moments and I realized that I really, really liked kissing Kalona. He was way better than Stark, or Erik, or Heath, or even Loren Blake.

When the kiss broke I looked up at him. "How was that punishment?" I wondered aloud.

"Well, you hate kissing me, and you, my Zoey, are a terrible kisser."

I drew back from him pretending to be offended, because I could sense that he was totally joking. "I like this side of you," I said absentmindedly.

The comment won me a look from Kalona. "What side?"

"The side that isn't a jerk," I told him. "I didn't think there was such a side."

Kalona frowned and then took my hand and yanked me out of the hot tub and into his arms with godlike strength. I was cradled in his strong arms and I looked up at him. I was still dripping wet but that didn't seem to bother him. For a split second I noticed a glint of pure happiness in his amber eyes. Then it was gone, replaced with something dark and terrifying. I braced myself for another outburst or sudden rage.

His tone was dark when he spoke next, and he was back to his old self. Arrogant and totally rude. "I am better for you than your pathetic little Guardian, and infinitely better than your stupid little human."

I raised an eyebrow at him. "Why did you bring up Heath?"

Kalona ignored the question and carried me back inside only to set me down on his bed. Then he moved in like a predator and started to kiss me savagely. In another swift movement he seized both of my wrists and pinned them above my head. He continued to kiss me and instead of feeling any sort of pleasure at all, I felt pure terror.

"What are you doing?" I gasped between kisses.

"Taking what I deserve," he snapped back at me. "Nothing will stop me this time."

Kalona went back to his task. I suddenly realized the savagery from that night with Stark. The night we fled the school. It suddenly all made sense. Kalona had somehow taken control of Stark's body through their connection. That's why Stark had been so freaked out.

"Stop!" I cried.

"No," said Kalona. "I have waited long enough."

"This isn't right." I said. "I'll hate you forever if you do this now."

That caught Kalona's attention. He stopped kissing me and unpinned my wrists. "You wouldn't hate me forever" He said.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" I demanded. "A moment ago you were being a good guy. You were acting like someone I actually wanted to be with. Now you are just being an asshole. Now I see the truth. You took control of Stark that one night. You hurt me, and now you want to do so again. I don't understand you. Why can't you just try for once in your life to be kind."

"Kindness is weakness," he said. "That is why your beloved Guardian and your foolish human are so pathetic. That is why I easily destroyed the human, and if you do not cooperate with me I can do the same to your Guardian."

I scowled at him. "You said you wouldn't hurt Stark. Besides, it would be a lot easier for me if you were actually kind. I could learn to love you if you were on Nyx's side."

"Love. What does love have to do with anything?"

"I loved Heath and I love Stark. If you try and destroy that then I will never love you."

"I don't need love. I don't need to be kind. I don't need Nyx. Can't you see Zoey? It's not who I am. I never will be who you want me to be. So why not learn to love me as I am now? You know you want to."

"No. I really don't. I can't love you like this. You are heartless and cruel. You already took away someone I loved."

"Your human was nothing. He was nothing compared to what I am."

"Wrong." I screamed. "He was everything that you aren't. He was kind-hearted, loyal, lovable, and considerate. The list goes on and on. You are an evil, self-centered, jerk who has never cared about anyone."

"I loved Nyx," he countered.

"Yes. Loved as in past tense. You are incapable of love now. You are incapable of feeling any regret for everything you have done to hurt me." I rolled out from under him, and stormed out of the room.

-/-

It didn't take long for Kalona to catch up to me. I had changed and was now sitting in my bed, wishing desperately that I could go home. Now I felt terrible that I had stopped missing Stark. I missed him now more than ever.

The door swung open and Kalona stepped into my room. "We weren't done when you ran off you know."

"It felt like we were done. I don't like arguing like that. It's pointless because it won't change your behavior."

"Well, maybe you're right. But I need to tell you something now. It is difficult for me to say. Will you hear me out?"

"Whatever." I said. "Come over here."

Kalona came and sat next to me. "There is one thing I regret of the past few months. Killing your human."

"I don't believe you. This is an act to get forgiveness. Anyway. I can't forgive you for what you did to him."

"Oh Zoey, you are being foolish. Can't you see that you are the first person I have apologized to since Nyx? Isn't that worth anything?"

At that moment something peculiar happened. A wisp of darkness wafted from Kalona's chest and vanished like smoke. Kalona appeared not to have seen it. So maybe it was for me alone to see. The idea was confirmed when I heard Nyx's calming voice. "_My daughter, you are finally starting to have an effect on my fallen Warrior. There is hope that you may succeed. Do what he has not done to anyone. Treat him with kindness and forgiveness so that he may learn the value of honesty and trust and love."_

The Goddess's voice faded away and I turned to Kalona. "Yes. An apology is worth something. It's the first step down a good path. Maybe one day I will forgive you. Thank you for apologizing."

"Of course," said Kalona. "Now you can repay me." He gave me a meaningful look and took my hand in his. Then our lips met in a surprisingly gentle kiss. Our arms surrounded one another and his wings folded around me, wrapping me in a feathery cloak of pleasant warmth. He felt as if he was so sincere. After the kiss he held me in his arms for what seemed like forever. We were only interrupted by a knock on the door.


	18. Chapter 18

**Rephaim**

"What are you doing here?" Kalona stood in the frame of the open door. His dark amber eyes clouded with anger. The searing look his father was giving him mad his stomach lurch painfully. However, Rephaim was determined not to be pushed away by his father before he saw Zoey.

"You know what I'm doing here," he answered. "I came to check on Zoey, to make sure that you haven't harmed her. If you have I'm taking her with me."

Rephaim moved to enter the penthouse, but Kalona blocked his path. "Come back later. I was in the middle of something." Kalona's amber eyes flashed a warning to his son.

"Well whatever you were in the middle of," he said, "you will have to pick it up later. You promised that I would get to see Zoey this time, and if you insist that I can't see her, then I will have no choice but to assume that you have harmed her in some. In which case I have the right to take her back to the tunnels."

Kalona scowled at his son. Rephaim's rhetoric infuriated him. "Fine. She didn't know you were coming."

Rephaim raised and eyebrow at his father. "You haven't told her? Did you even tell her that I came in the first place?"

"No. She didn't need to know."

"I think she did need to know. Anyway it doesn't matter. She'll find out in a few moments anyway. Where is she?"

"Upstairs," said Kalona. "But after you see her, you must leave immediately."

Rephaim nodded. "I will do just that if she is unharmed." Rephaim brushed past his father and headed for the polished oak staircase.

He heard his father groan behind him, and then following his son.

**Zoey**

I sat on Kalona's bed. He had suddenly run downstairs upon hearing a strange noise below. He had instructed me to stay upstairs. Not really in the mood for any conflict, especially after a surprisingly tender moment between Kalona and myself, I obeyed his request. I now sat waiting for him to return and trying to decide how I felt about Kalona. He was beautiful, deadly, and dangerous. Still, he had promised to change, and sometimes, way deep down, I was starting to believe that he could. Even though it really didn't seem like a very likely possibility. I still missed Stark, but only because I missed his comfort and reliability. I definitely loved Stark, but now I was starting to think that I was starting to feel something strong for Kalona, even stronger than what I felt for Stark. The thought terrified me, but it was no use denying my developing feelings, at least, not until I found out exactly what they were.

The door swung open and I was fully expecting to see Kalona. But instead I saw his son, which totally freaked me out. "Rephaim, what are you doing here?"

Rephaim came over to me. "Checking in on you. It was one of the conditions of my not telling your location to the others. Well, the others, except for Stevie Rae. She knows that you are here. We have both been really worried about you."

"Both?" I questioned.

"Yes," he said. "I know you don't trust me after what I did to you. I can't say that I blame you. What I did was wrong and deceptive. I truly wouldn't blame you if you never forgive me. But I was worried about you, for these reasons. You are my beloved's best friend. My father can be very destructive and dangerous. We are on the same side, you and I, and my father is a threat. I know him better than anyone and I did this so he could have a chance at love. Still, for my part, I am sorry."

Rephaim's confession washed over me like a tidal wave. I could tell that he was sincere. He did what he did because he truly thought it was the right thing to do. He was coming to check on me out of love. Even though I had been really mad at him before, my anger was immediately washed away by his sincerity. "Thank you for coming. I really appreciate it. I forgive you for doing what you did. In your way, you are right."

Dark laugher rumbled from the hallway. Kalona entered the room. "How very touching. My Zoey and my son are making amends."

I looked over at Kalona. There was a smile on his perfectly handsome face.

"I'm not your Zoey," I shot back at him.

He only laughed again.

Rephaim looked from me to his father. "Well, I see that Zoey isn't hurt." He looked to me. "You are unharmed aren't you?"

I looked at Kalona. He nodded tightly. "Yes," I said. "You father hasn't hurt me." _Physically,_ I thought.

Rephaim looked relieved. "Stevie Rae will be thrilled, as am I. We feared the worst, and as for everyone else . . ." He suddenly trailed off.

"Stark?" I asked. I could feel Kalona's burning scowl on my back. Though I didn't turn to look at him.

"He's lost without you. He wanders around whenever the sun is down trying to find you. The others, while extremely worried, try to find distractions. They all have faith in you, Zoey. We all believe in you. However I can see that you are safe and moderately happy. So knowing that, and now that I have apologized I suppose I will leave you until next week. I promised Stevie Rae I would check in weekly."

A mixture of relief and worry swept over me. Stark. No I couldn't think of him. He would not find me. I would see him in two weeks. As for everyone else, it made me happy that they had faith in me. Apparently Stark didn't have the same faith. Oh well. I looked over at Rephaim. I suddenly had a crazy idea. "Next time you come will you take Stevie Rae with you too? I miss her so much."

"Yes. I could," answered Rephaim.

That was when Kalona stepped in. "Absolutely not," he said. He walked over to me and put his hand on my shoulder. His grip was firm, and it kind of hurt. I tried to hide it. If Rephaim noticed my discomfort he didn't let on.

"Why not?" asked Rephaim.

Kalona glowered at his son. "She would-"

I cut him off. "If you think she is going to try and convince me to run away, that's not going to happen. You can trust Stevie Rae, even if you can't trust me. Let her come."

Kalona shook his head. "No. My word is final. Stevie Rae is not to come here."

"Let her come or I swear I'll leave with Rephaim tonight."

Anger crossed over Kalona's gorgeous and perfect facial features. "You can't do that. You gave me your word that you would stay. You can't go back on your word."

"I can and I will. Please do this one thing for me." I gave him a meaningful look. However, I wasn't sure that I cold guilt Kalona into anything. He just wasn't that kind of guy.

Rephaim watched the exchange in silence. I could tell he was studying the way his father was carrying himself, and the expression featured on his face: a mixture of annoyance, compliance . . . and something else.

After a long moment he said, "fine" very grudgingly.

Rephaim's eyes widened in wonder. Apparently he had never seen his father give in a request so willingly. It was then that Rephaim realized his father's weakness, even if neither his father nor Zoey knew it yet. Rephaim figured that Zoey would discover this secret truth soon enough. His father, though, would probably do everything he could do deny it. "Okay," said Rephaim. "Next time I come Stevie Rae will come with me. I will see you in a week."

He started to turn away and I suddenly had to give him a hug. Rephaim was surprised but he hugged me back. When we broke apart he smiled. "I'll see you next week, Zoey. I'm glad you are not hurt."

Rephaim turned to Kalona. "Father, I am glad to see that you have kept your word."

With that remark and a wave towards Zoey, Rephaim walked out of Kalona's room.

-/-

"Why didn't you tell e that Rephaim came to visit?" I turned to face Kalona. He refused to look me in the eyes.

"It wasn't important," he said. "He just wanted to make sure you weren't hurt. Besides, when he came you were in no mood to talk to anyone. It was when you refused to speak to me or spend any time with me for three days in a row."

"Whose fault was that?" I demanded,

"Maybe it was my fault," he amended. "But still. I didn't think it was important. I don't see what's the big deal."

"No. You never do," I said. Then I got up to leave.

Kalona took a few giant strides to block the door.

"Let me pass," I said, rolling my eyes, now totally annoyed.

"No," he said. He put his hands on my shoulders and drew me into his arms. "You don't really want to fight with me, Zoey. I know it and you know it. So let's just stop this foolish nonsense. You must stop fighting against me. We will be together. You and I both know it. Why don't you just accept it and stop fighting against me."

"I don't want us to be together," I said.

"Stop lying to me. Even more, stop lying to yourself."

"I really hate your cocky confidence. Leave me alone."

"You don't want to do that."

"You don't know what I want. You don't know me at all."

"I knew you in a past life. We were together in your past life and we will be together in this life. I said I would try and change for you and you in turn must cooperate with me."

I looked away from him. "You haven't tried to change yet. Not really."

"I could be forcing you to be with me this very moment. I could make you do things that you think you don't want to do but in actuality you really want to do. I could keep you here forever until you agree to be with me. In fact, I could be doing many, many things that you don't approve of. But yet, here I am, being completely honest to you. Doesn't that count for anything. I don't like honesty. It's useless and weak. I also apologized to you for killing your human consort. That really should count for something."

"Maybe it does," I said. "Maybe I don't care." But I really did care. I think Kalona could tell that I did.

For the first time he didn't try and make out with me to end an argument. Instead we took my hand in his and led me back to the bed. We sat close and talked for hours, long into the night, until the sun rose.

-/-

I didn't end up getting to sleep until almost noon. But I had left Kalona's room a couple of hours before that. For the first time, I had actually had a real conversation with Kalona. It didn't really matter what we had talked about. I hardly remembered. But honestly I realized something. I was halfway through my promised month with him. I hadn't gone out of my mind yet, and there were actually good moments about our time together. Even though he was all over me most of the time, which I still found weird because in reality, I have never thought of myself as attractive. But for one reason or another Kalona really wanted to be with me, whether it was that I reminded him of all he had lost and he wanted to get it back, or if he really actually had feelings for me, I didn't know. But still, the fact that a super sexy guy wanted to be with me was still pretty amazing.

So when he came into my room I didn't send him away.

Kalona cocked his head, a smile on his lips. "Does this mean you have forgiven me."

"Well, you didn't try and kiss your way out of an argument and you are letting my best friend come see me next week. So I guess I can forgive you, given that you give me one more thing."

"What is it?"

"We need to go to the Nyx's temple at the House of Night." I had no idea where the idea came from. But it felt right. I needed Kalona to go somewhere sacred to Nyx. The temple at the House of Night was the only one that I knew existed. It didn't occur to me that there was another one.

"What?" demanded Kalona. "Are you out of your mind? You ran away from the school. Neferet is there and she hates us both." Was that fear in Kalona's voice. No. I immediately dismissed the ludicrous idea. Kalona was never afraid and even though Neferet was insanely powerful, I still had a feeling that Kalona could take her. After all, had he not left her after freeing his son, even when she demanded that he stay; claimed that she had dominion over his immortal soul. But he had left her. He was more powerful than she was.

"You need to go to Nyx's temple."

"Well we are not going to the House of Night. My word is final."

I folded my arms across my chest and turned away from him. "How can you possibly attempt to make a change, to get back on Nyx's path if we have no way to connect with her."

"Zoey, you are more or less the true High priestess of the House of Night. Surely your influence is enough."

"Nope. I'm not. I'm just a kid with affinities for the elements. I've only cast a few circles and I've only seen Nyx a few times. It's not enough for you."

A look of anger crossed his features. "Your lack of faith in yourself is disturbing, as is your lack of faith in me."

"When have you ever given me a reason to have faith in you?" I asked, sounding incredibly annoyed. I looked at Kalona. He was looking directly at me, searching my face as if he was searching for an answer to a question that he clearly didn't have.

"I haven't," he said. "But we cannot return to the House of Night. It is too risky. Neferet is nothing. But rumors of your return would get back to Stark. He would try and take you away before the end of our agreement."

"I wouldn't leave you. I'm going to keep my word."

Kalona looked at me again, searching for something to confirm that he could trust me. I couldn't believe it. Clearly there wasn't a more dysfunctional "couple" than Kalona and me. We didn't trust each other and I didn't know if we ever could. "I don't know," said Kalona, " What if I found a different temple."

"Do you think you could do that? Do you think there is another temple."

"I don't know. But perhaps it's time I try and do something to earn your trust. Perhaps it's time that I start trying to change. Because I haven't tried to change, and I don't even know if I can. But maybe you are worth it. I will find a temple for you."

I couldn't help but smile. I stood up and practically threw myself into his arms, which, in turn, wrapped around me. His hands traveled down my back until they rested on my hips. His touch was firm but gentle and the heat of his skin sent little jolts of energy through my body. "You would do that for me?"

"Yes," he said, gazing almost lovingly down at me. "If you do something for me in return."

I suddenly had a sinking feeling in my gut. I should have expected that there was going to be a catch. I mean this was Kalona I was dealing with. I really should have expected it. For a moment I was ashamed of my stupidity.

"You must let me sleep with you."

"No way," I said. "I'm not ready."

Kalona's eyes flashed dangerously. "Just as you weren't ready with Loren Blake?" He pulled me closer to him. "Anyway, I didn't mean now and not even tonight. But you must let me do this, especially if you decide to leave me in a couple weeks."

"You said you wouldn't stop pursuing me anyway, so why does it matter if I leave you after the next couple of weeks?"

"I won't stop pursuing you, it's true. But if you do decide to leave me then I intend to give you some time to start missing me and rethink your decision to leave me. However, if you do decide to leave me, you must give me something to remember you by." He flashed a suggestive grin in my direction.

I rolled my eyes. "You are so sick."

"Don't pretend that you don't want it. Even if you don't today I know you will want it before you leave."

"That just shows how little you know about me. I don't think I can agree to this crazy condition of yours."

Kalona upped my chin in his hand. The icy heat of his hand almost burned my skin. "Just say yes. Just say yes. You know you want to. Do not deny it. Say yes to me, and if you do this for me, I will make sure you will enjoy it. I will make it the best night of your life. If you agree to this condition, the next two weeks I swear that I will do whatever you want me to do in order to get back on Nyx's path. Say yes to me. Give me your word, and I will give you the world."

I looked at Kalona. There was desperation in his voice and in his gorgeous amber eyes. After a moment I said, "Okay. I will do it." I figured I would get out of it later.

He drew me in for a kiss. It was gentle and pure. When we broke apart all he said was "I will find us another temple." Then he turned away and left my room. I desperately hoped that I wouldn't regret this promise.


	19. Chapter 19

**Zoey**

I barely saw Kalona for the next couple of days. He was constantly away from the penthouse and I was left alone. It occurred to me that If I really wanted to, I could have run away. I would have had plenty of time to do so. In fact, after Kalona had promised to find a temple besides the one at the House of Night, which I doubted because there weren't really any Nyx fanatics out there who would randomly build a temple devoted to the personification of Night in the middle of Tulsa, but whatever: he had left the penthouse and he was gone until the next morning.

I had the whole day to myself, in which I spent doing nothing very productive; reading, eating, and using the hot tub. All of which were very nice, but honestly it was kind of weird being alone in a penthouse in the middle of nowhere.

From the roof of the house I could tell we were in a forest on one of the small mountains near Tulsa, and by small, I do mean really small. Still, I was in the middle of a forest, I believed we were near Tulsa but I had no idea how far and I had no way of figuring out how to get back to the tunnels. So it didn't matter that Kalona had kept all the doors unlocked, and it didn't matter that I would have had time to flee. What did matter is that I only had two weeks left of my sentence and to my surprise; I didn't even really want to cut it short.

However, there might have been one incentive to disappear and never return. The promise I made was crazy, absolutely, certifiably insane. I should have said no. I should have said that Kalona was absolutely insane to even make such a suggestion. Plus, what he was offering me for he wanted to do wasn't all that great. Well maybe. I don't know.

I definitely wanted him to change. I definitely wanted him to try and get back on the path of the Goddess. I also secretly, way deep down in my heart, wanted to be with him. Of course, that would be totally impossible; especially since he is an ancient evil immortal who stands against everything my goddess believes in. But whatever. He offered to try and change, if even possible. I suppose that the trade off for that happening isn't too unreasonable. Especially considering the fact that if he changed I probably would be totally willing to do what he wanted to do. But as it is now, the fact is that Kalona is evil, and he probably wont be able to change. I had to face that reality, and the fact was that I had promised to sleep with him in two weeks whether he changed or not. Honestly, no person can change in two weeks, especially when they have been screwed up for centuries. Ah, hell, why did I always get myself into these ridiculous situations?

After three days hardly seeing Kalona at all, he woke me up really early in the morning (well, early in the evening). His hand swept across my face, then his lips. My eyes fluttered open. "Morning," I murmured sleepily. "Why are you waking me up so early?"

There was a smile on Kalona's face. It was pure and genuine and it seemed to light up his amber eyes and make his face come to life. I couldn't help but notice how much better Kalona looked when he was genuinely smiling. It had never happened so far. So honestly I was caught off guard with how amazing he looked.

"I have a surprise for you," he said. He sounded rather pleased with himself. Then he yanked me out of bed, as if I was as light as a feather, and into his arms.

"Umm, I'm in my pajamas," I said to him, looking down at my purple girl boxers and tank. My arm was flung carelessly around his neck and he was cradling me in his strong arms.

"What's your point?" he asked, taking a quick look down at me.

"Isn't it cold," I asked weakly, knowing very well that Kalona, who never wore anything but a pair of pants, would say it wasn't.

He smiled. "I'll keep you warm," he said teasingly.

I thought of his cold heat that was, at this very moment prickling through my body. I still wanted to put on some normal clothes, but I saw that it wasn't going to happen.

Kalona walked briskly out of my room and through the small, gleaming kitchen and to the foyer. He opened the front door and stepped outside.

I noticed that it was pretty nice for March in Oklahoma. Especially considering the fact that it was eight o'clock at night. The sky was already dark and a few stars dotted the deep blue. The moon hung silvery and half full in the sky. There was a slight breeze and it chilled my bare legs, which hung carelessly over one of Kalona's arms. It occurred to me that I usually didn't like to be carried around like a child. But in Kalona's arms I was pretty comfortable.

Kalona looked down at me. "Hold on to me tight, Zoey."

My arms fastened around his neck and he pulled me in closer to him, his arms tightening around me.

He took off a moment later and I pressed myself against his chest as the wind whipped around me. I closed my eyes as we flew and tried not to think about how weird it was that I was with an ancient, evil immortal, who looked eternally young, and could fly. I was suddenly glad that I was a vampyre fledgling, because if for some reason I ended up with Kalona, I would stay young looking for a lot longer than a regular human. Uh oh. No. I couldn't start picturing myself with Kalona. I didn't really want to be with him. Did I?

The flight was about fifteen minutes. Then we landed softly on the ground. I opened my eyes and at first I saw nothing but sky. Then I looked around and saw where we were. I gasped. "Kalona," I whispered, "are you crazy?"

Kalona set me down on the ground and I suddenly wished that I had been given the opportunity to change into actual clothes.

"We don't have much time," he said quickly, totally ignoring my question.

"Why did you bring us here? You said it was too dangerous. Plus, it's the beginning of the school day. Someone's totally going to see us."

Kalona's amber eyes flashed. "I decided that risk could be a good thing. Besides. No one will see us. I know how to get around the school without being seen. I've done it before."

I didn't even want to know what he meant by that, but part of me thought that he had been using his talents in stealth to follow me around campus, which was a totally freaky thought. I rolled my eyes. "Someone's going to see us. I don't care if we aren't near the main buildings. Someone is going to see us."

"You worry too much. Besides. Neferet is away. I can tell."

"How?" I asked, bewildered.

Kalona took my hand in his. "Never mind. Let's go." We started walking briskly towards Nyx's temple.

To my surprise we got there without anyone seeing us. Over by the temple, there was a storehouse with candles, and herbs, and a bunch of other random things for the school's monthly rituals. It looked like I was going to have to cast another circle, especially if I was going to make an effort to get Kalona back on Nyx's path.

I went into the storehouse and grabbed a handful of candles, a smudge stick, and a lighter. I really wished my friends were here to help me, but would they have helped me anyway? They probably were pretty pissed off with me. I mean I disappeared. Not that I could go back, even though I was so close to them. No. I had to stick it out. I had to keep my promise. Then Kalona would be out of my life and he wouldn't be able to harm any of my friends, and I could make everything up to Stark, make up for everything that I have been putting him through.

Kalona and I walked into the temple. I pointed over in front of the statue representation of Nyx. "Sit down," I said.

Kalona took a few giant steps and sat down on the cool marble floor, legs crossed. I set the candles carefully around him, placing a candle that represented each element in according directions. Then I stood just outside of the circle, closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and whispered a prayer to Nyx. _Please Nyx, guide me. Help me to help Kalona see how he could be. Allow me to reach Kalona in a way that will make him understand what he needs to do, or at least start to do to get back to your path._

"From the East, I summon Air. Please bring knowledge to the circle and help Kalona gain the knowledge he needs to start back on the path to Light." I slit the bright yellow candle and felt the cool breeze wrap around my bare legs. I thought of Damien and of how much I missed his strong presence and wisdom.

"From the South I summon Fire. Please give Kalona the strength to do what he needs to do, and please grant me the strength to help him." As I light the red candle I could feel my skin start to heat up as if a small flame enveloped me. I thought of Shaunee and her fiery passion and attitude. She would definitely be giving me a lecture when I got back, and no doubt it would be hot. I smiled slightly.

"I summon Water from the West," I said, thinking of Erin, usually keeping her 'twin' in check. Erin was the water to Shaunee's fire, the Yin to her Yang. "Please bring compassion and understanding into our circle, tow things that are necessary to complete this journey." I lit the light blue candle and suddenly heard the sound of waves rushing back and forth against a sandy shore.

"From the North I summon Earth. Please make our prayers come true tonight and provide us with solid guidance in this journey." I could smell freshly mown grass. I pictured my best friend. Stevie Rae and Rephaim were the only ones who knew where I was. I would see Stevie Rae in a few days. I would be able to have a long talk with my best friend and maybe she could help me make sense of the new developments between Kalona and me. I lit the fresh green candle. Then I walked to the center of the circle, right before Kalona, who was sitting before me, eyes closed, as if he was meditating. There was a trace of a smile on his perfect lips. Did he believe in what I was doing? Did he even really care?

"Finally I summon Spirit, please bring to life the connection between ourselves and our beloved goddess Nyx." I felt the element fill my entire body, giving me incredible strength and courage. Maybe this was possible. It was if I could feel the Goddess standing there beside me, urging me on, and encouraging me.

**Kalona**

Kalona sat on the cool marble floor with his eyes closed. It was rather incredible to listen to Zoey cast this circle, all in hopes of helping him to connect with Nyx. In some way it had worked. Kalona had felt each of the elements around him as Zoey, her voice surging with remarkable power, called ach of them to the circle. He saw Nyx each time as well. She was just as he always remembered her, beautiful, strong, powerful, compassionate, wonderful, and a plethora of other things that couldn't be put into words. With Each element Zoey summoned Kalona remembered different and specific quality of Nyx. Each element brought a memory.

Air.

"Kalona, do you know what you have done?" Nyx stood there with an unidentifiable expression on her beautiful face.

"I've done nothing but tell the truth. I confessed my love for you."

"Your so called love brought you to strike out against Erebus. You did not use wisdom in your decisions. You have lost the knowledge that had been taught to you. You have abandoned your beliefs."

"Surely you must know that all I want is to be with you."

Nyx smiled sadly and shook her head. "Surely you must know that you can't."

Fire.

"Be strong, Kalona," said Nyx. "Even though I must banish you from my realm as punishment for all you have done, I know you have the strength to get back to the path of Light. Do not be swayed further by Darkness. Be strong my warrior."

He stood before her, scowling at her, not feeling strong at all. "Why are you doing this to me? I cannot be strong. Not when I have to face punishment in the mortal realm. I cannot fight the Darkness that has awakened within me without your help."

"You acted against me, against our beliefs. You have to deal with the choices you have made, and the consequences of those actions. But you are strong."

Water.

Nyx had abandoned him. She had banished him. Yet Kalona somehow understood why she did what she did. Yet, he was still incredibly angry with her. He knew that it would take many, many years for him to forgive her. Did she have no compassion for him? How could she leave him alone in the mortal realm like this? It was unfair. It was horrendous.

Earth.

Kalona was kneeling on the ground. His hands covered in fresh mud. His face was dirty and streaked with tears. The earth. He was trapped within its depths because of A-ya. But more than that, he was trapped because of Nyx, because of his love for her. If only he hadn't fallen in love with her. If only he had remained nothing but a faithful Warrior. He wouldn't be here today.

Spirit.

This wasn't a memory really. It was more like a vision. Nyx stood before him. She was smiling down at him. "Kalona, my Warrior, I thought you would never get back to where you are today. Forgiveness is a precious gift, are you ready to ask for it?"

"Yes," he whispered softly. "Nyx, my beloved Goddess. I have done wrong by you for centuries. Will you forgive all that I have done and let me start anew? Forever walking on your path with your daughter?"

Nyx smiled. "Yes, my Warrior. Your heart and soul and body are free from Darkness, walk my path with the one you love. Let her guide you if you ever have the urge to stray again. All is forgiven, but never forgotten. Learn from you past and prevent those mistakes from happening in the future."

"I will," he said obediently. As soon as he had spoken those two powerful words, Nyx was gone, and Zoey stood in her place. But I was almost hard to tell the difference. But then she came running into his arms. She was crying tears of joy. She kissed him and said the words that he never thought he would hear from a woman.

The visions and memories faded away and Kalona was dragged back to reality.

Kalona looked back up at Zoey, who was looking at him hopefully. He had seen everything that he had done wrong, or at least pieces of it. He suddenly felt a strong desire not to disappoint her. Also, he wanted Nyx's forgiveness now more then ever. But there was something else that he also realized. He didn't need Nyx's love anymore, at least not romantically, which he would never get anyway. But what he really wanted was Zoey's love. It was a strange feeling. He had never imagined that he wanted love from a woman.

"So," Zoey asked, after she had closed the circle, "how do you feel?"

"Better," he said. "Now I have another surprise for you. Let's get out of here."

Kalona stood up and pulled her up.

They walked toward the exit of the temple only to find someone standing in the doorway. "Not so fast," said Lenobia.

**Zoey**

Ah, hell. Why did we have to get caught by a teacher? Well, at least it was Lenobia and not Neferet.

"What are you doing here Zoey, and with Kalona. I don't understand."

The horse mistress was dressed in her usual, stylish, designer, riding duds, with knee high black leather boots. Her long blond hair was a waterfall down her back. She had a concerned expression on her face.

"Can I talk to you in the stables?" I asked. "I promise I'll explain everything."

Lenobia nodded and said, "Come on." Then she turned. I moved to follow her.

Kalona did as well, but I turned to him and said, "No. I want to talk to her alone. Wait here for me."

"Why," he asked.

"Please?" I asked.

"Fine, but hurry up."

I turned to leave but Kalona seized my wrists and pulled me in close to him. "Don't you dare try and run away," he said.

"I made you a promise. I'm not going to break it. I'll see you soon."

-/-

"What's going on?" asked Lenobia.

We were both standing in the stables. I was petting Persephone absently while I purposely avoided my professor's question for a few moments. I wasn't sure how much I should tell her.

"Are the others here with you?"

"No," I said. "It's just Kalona and me."

"Which brings me to my second question. Why are you with Kalona? Last time I saw you and your friends you fled the school because of Neferet. Now I find you here, during school hours, with one of the school's enemies. I don't understand."

"Kalona isn't with Neferet anymore. He hates her." Okay so I didn't know if he hated her, but for all intents and purposes he did.

"I know. I saw what he did, but I still don't think you can trust him."

"That's what I thought, but now I'm starting to rethink things. I don't know. It's hard to explain."

Lenobia smiled kindly at me. "Why don't you try," she asked.

With that I dove into the entire explanation, realizing how ridiculous it sounded. After almost twenty minutes I had told her everything, even about my changing feelings towards Kalona.

"Oh Zoey, I understand what you are trying to do. It is a noble thing, but do you honestly think this is wise."

"I don't know what to think. But I promised him that I would stay with him for thirty days. I can't back out now. Otherwise he will strike out against me and he will hurt my friends. Plus I don't really want to leave him. I kind of like him. As weird as it sounds, he's kind of sweet, and I really don't think he is as corrupted as Neferet. Speaking of the evil, rogue high Priestess, where is she?"

"She's in Italy. She has been there for nearly a week now. She didn't tell anyone what she was doing. We just get an email every day with instructions concerning the students, who, by the way, are no prohibited to leave campus. Neferet would be furious if she knew you were here. I think you and your friends are the reason why everyone is trapped here."

"I didn't mean for this to happen," I said. "We just needed to get away from here."

"I understand, Zoey, and this is why I stayed. So I could protect the students and try and discover some of Neferet's plans. But I haven't discovered anything. Neferet is very good at hiding something when she wants it to be hidden.

"In a couple of weeks, I will have my phone back. We need to keep in touch. After I deal with this whole Kalona issue, my friends and I will try and find a way to deal with Neferet. Meanwhile try and discover anything you can about Neferet and her plans. Some day we are going to take this school back from Neferet."

Lenobia suddenly gave me a hug. "Good luck, Zoey. I will keep in touch. Merry meet, and merry part, and merry meet again."

I smiled at her as I recited the familiar goodbye. Then I gave Persephone on lest pat on the nose and left the horse and the horse mistress alone in the stables.

-/-

Kalona was outside waiting for me.

"I told her everything," I admitted.

Kalona raised his eyebrow. "Everything?"

"Yes," I said.

"Fine," he said. "Come here," he said holding out his arms.

I went over to him and he swept me up into his strong arms. "Alright, hold on tight, Zoey."

I obeyed and he took off once again. I was surprised to discover that we weren't returning to the penthouse.

"Where are we going?" I asked. The wind was whipping around us as we moved through the air.

"It's a surprise, and I think you will like it."

"Is this what you have been doing the last few days?"

"Shh," he said. "We're almost there.

Kalona landed gracefully in the middle of a forest. I could tell that we were near the condo, because I could just barely see the roof over the trees a long distance away.

"Where are we?" I asked, for what seemed like the third or forth time.

Kalona smiled and set me down. I shivered. My feet were bare and the ground was cold.

Kalona stood in front of me. He put his arms around me and bent toward me. "Close your eyes," he whispered, and I immediately, without thinking, obeyed.

He took my hand in his and I started walking blindly, with only Kalona's hand to guide me, towards our destination. Towards my surprise.

After a few moments he said, "You can open your eyes now, my dear Zoey."

I ignored what he called me and opened my eyes. Before me I saw one of the most beautiful sights.

The temple was made from gleaming white marble, swirled with graceful curves of ebony. It was smaller that the one at the house of night, but it was even more beautiful. Words that I didn't really understand were carved near the top. The opening was in between two pillars that were at least fifteen feet tall. The roof was nearly flat, with a slight incline.

"How did you do this?" I asked, barely breathing.

"Never you mind. Let's go inside."

He pushed me towards the temple. As soon as we walked in I noticed that incense was lit. The entire temple was filled with the wonderful scent of lavender, one of my favorites. It reminded me of my grandma. But how could Kalona have known?

Next, the statue caught my attention. It was an exact replica of the statue on the roof of the castle where Kalona and I had shared several dreams. I looked over at him. "It's beautiful," I said.

He smiled at me. "Do you like it? I figured it could be our special place. Now and forever."

I cocked my head to the side. "Forever?" I echoed. "Aren't you getting a little bit ahead of yourself?"

"I don't know," he was suddenly grinning impishly down at me. 'What do you think?"

"I don't know, but what I do know is that this is one of the nicest things anyone has ever done for me. Thank you so much." I paused. "But since it's you, what is the catch."

Kalona's features darkened. "Catch?"

"What do you want me to do to repay you? You usually don't do anything without wanting something in return."

"There is no catch, as you say," he said, sounding slightly annoyed. "All that stands is our agreement from a few days ago. I still expect you to do as you promised. Even if you do decide to leave me. Which I doubt that you will."

"We'll see about that," I said.

"Yes, we will. Now come here and thank me."

I went over to him and he wrapped his arms around me. I didn't kiss him to thank him as he wanted, but I let him hold me for a long, long time.


	20. Chapter 20

**Stark**

He had seen them. He had seen them together. He couldn't even wrap his mind around it. Why the hell was she with him. More than that, why the hell would they be together at the House of Night? It was insane. Hadn't Zoey decided that it was safer for all of them to lie low in the tunnels and start up a new House of Night?

For the past two and a half weeks, Zoey had been missing. He had feared the worst. He had feared that she was dead. It had scared the hell out of him. It had turned him into a mad man, frantically searching for her all night, every night.

He couldn't exactly remember why he had been lurking around the House of Night on this particular night. He supposed it had started with a feeling; some sort of force was pulling him towards the school.

He had arrived just in time too. His senses perfectly sharp, he was aware of everything that was going on around him. At first he had thought that Neferet was behind Zoey's disappearance. It had occurred to him that if there was even the slightest chance that she had survived two and a half weeks with Neferet that she would be at the school. He had arrived a little before nine o'clock in the evening. He had arrived just in time to see a large shape swooping from the sky. At first he thought it was an abnormally large Raven Mocker, who wasn't aware that its father had abandoned Neferet, but then he recognized the god-like immortal himself.

He watched as Kalona swooped from the sky and disappears behind the twenty-foot high wall that surrounded the school. Stark waited a moment or two before following the evil immortal.

What he saw next was something that made him want to cry out in agony. Zoey was hand in hand with Kalona, and they were walking towards Nyx's temple.

At first he thought he was hallucinating. There was no way in hell that Zoey would be with Kalona. No. Neferet had taken her. But then a sinking feeling hit him and he had realized that Neferet had nothing to do with Zoey's disappearance. It was all Kalona's doing. Although he was relieved that the girl he loved wasn't dead, it was almost worse to see her with their enemy, especially hand in hand.

Stark remembered creeping through the trees along the wall in pursuit. He sat and waited and watched. They were in the temple for nearly a half an hour. Stark couldn't imagine what they had been doing, but they walked out of the temple a half an hour later. They were talking to each other, and they were standing inches apart, hands joined together, fingers interlaced. The very stance was a caress and Stark could sense that Zoey wasn't going to back away. The realization went through his heart like a dagger.

Then Lenobia had come.

-/-

Stark remembered waiting longer still, torturing himself with endless possibilities. What had happened between Zoey and Kalona in those two long weeks? Did she love him? Had she forgotten about what they had together so quickly? Was she replacing him with Kalona? These thoughts were unbearable.

He saw Kalona waiting outside of the stables. It took everything Stark had to not emerge from his hiding place and confront Kalona. He succeeded for a few, long agonizing moments, before he could no longer take it anymore. The sight of Kalona, standing there, waiting to whisk Zoey away with him, was too much to bear.

Stark knew that his actions were rash and stupid, but he emerged from behind one of the large oak trees along the wall.

Stark remembered the exact moment he had locked eyes with Kalona.

Kalona's lips curled into a sneer. "What are you doing here, foolish Warrior?"

Stark stood his ground. "I could ask you the same thing," he said coolly.

"Get out of here," said Kalona as an answer to his retort.

'Make me," said Stark stupidly, instantly regretting it. He had face Kalona before and lost. Worse than that, he had died.

"I could," he said calmly, " but that would hurt Zoey. I don't want to do that. So why don't you get out of here before I do something that I might regret. Zoey need never know that we spoke."

"I'm not going anywhere, and I'm not going to let you take Zoey away from me. What do you even want with her? She doesn't even like you. In fact she hates you." Stark knew his words weren't true. He had seen the two of them together, even if it was only briefly.

Kalona smiled a cruel smile. "We both know that isn't true, but since you are dying for information, I shall give it to you. Zoey came to me two weeks ago. She wanted to be with me, and so I accepted her. She belongs to me now, Warrior, so just accept it and be only her Guardian, as you were meant to be."

"You're lying," said Stark. "She didn't go to you. You took her away from me, from her friends, from everyone who mattered to her. You even killed Heath. You could never care for her."

Kalona's eyes flashed dangerously. "You don't know anything about my feelings for Zoey. Now get out of here or I shall be forced to harm you. I don't want to, the effect would be devastating on Zoey, because even though, she is not in love with you, she still loves you as her Guardian, and only as that. If you leave now, you shall be able to see her soon. Maybe."

"No. That's not good enough."

"It will have to be," said Kalona, his voice dark. "Get out of here now, or I swear by your Goddess that you will find yourself in a great deal of trouble. Remember who won the last time we faced each other in the battle field."

Stark glowered at Kalona, but turned slowly away and left the school, only to go back to the tunnels planning to tell everyone what had just happened.

-/-

When stark arrived back in the tunnels, everyone was in various places, doing their own things, trying to distract himself or herself from Zoey's disappearance. Suddenly, Stark knew that it wasn't the time to tell them what had happened. Every word that Kalona said was most likely a lie, but he still had Zoey, and he was the reason that she was gone. Stark decide that until he found out more about Kalona's intentions, he wouldn't breathe a word about what he had seen.

**Kalona**

The encounter with Zoey's guardian had revealed a few hidden emotions that had been trapped in the depths of his heart.

It was nearly sunrise and Zoey had gone into her room for the night, well, the day, leaving Kalona alone in his room after a single kiss goodnight.

He hadn't told Zoey the truth about his seeing Stark, and he didn't intend to any time soon. However, he realized that seeing Stark had made him realize something critically important. Whatever strange and strong emotions he had fro Zoey were starting to change and take shape, they were starting to become recognizable. A feeling that Kalona didn't really like. Then again, he didn't actually dislike it either.

Love? Did he love Zoey? Is that why he had felt so threatened when he had encountered Stark? It that why he had done his best to get rid of him before Zoey came back from the stables. Did he fear the possibility that Zoey might choose her foolish Guardian over him? Would she choose Stark over him, if given the opportunity? At this point in time he really wasn't sure. Maybe it was something he needed to find out. Perhaps he needed to figure out a way to test how she was starting to feel about him.

But how would he do it? She had accepted his condition on trying to change. She had agreed to sleep with him, but what did that really mean? That Zoey was willing to do anything to get him to change? Well, at least that was a start.

Kalona fell asleep that night thinking of Zoey, and when he slept, he dreamt of Zoey too.

-/-

The next morning he woke up and went to Zoey's room. She was sleeping soundly, her black hair flared out across a pillow. She was smiling slightly. Was she dreaming of him? Kalona didn't know. But after a few moments of standing over her, he decided not to wake her. So instead he went to the kitchen, wrote a note to Zoey telling her where he would be, and then he left the penthouse.

Kalona had decided to fly to the temple he had built for Zoey. Perhaps he could seek counsel from Nyx. Although probably not. He wasn't on her path yet, and he most definitely hadn't earned her forgiveness. He didn't even know if he ever would.

When Kalona arrived at the temple he walked in and lit a few candles that hung near the statue of the goddess. Then he knelt before her representation and tried to clear his head of negative thoughts and feelings.

He sat there in silence for nearly an hour, meditating, and then a odd thing happened. He found himself murmuring a prayer to Nyx, and even more surprising, he found that she had answered his prayer. She had been listening to him.

_Kalona_

Nyx's voice exploded within the marble temple walls.

_I sense that you are going through changes. I sense that Darkness is fading from your heart. Has my beloved daughter brought this on?_

"Yes," said Kalona slowly, "I think so."

_Why do you think that is?_

"She reminds me of you," he said carefully, "and she is the reincarnation of A-ya."

_She is dedicated to my path. She will not follow under your influence. You can't draw her in to your side. You must make a change if you hope to be with her. She is different then all of my children. She is special. She is unique._

"I realize this," he said," but she is worth it."

_If you truly believe that, then perhaps there is a chance for you. If you want to be with her and your intentions are true then perhaps I can help you, however, you must prove that your intentions with my beloved daughter are true._

"I will do that," he said, "and when I earn her love and find my way back to your path, I will ask for your forgiveness."

_If you earn Zoey Redbird's love, then perhaps you will finally be worthy of forgiveness. I wish you luck Kalona. Merry Meet and Merry Part and Merry Meet again._

"Thank you Nyx," whispered Kalona, and Nyx faded away from his mind. Her presence was immediately replaced by Zoey.

**Zoey**

I woke up the next morning thinking of Stark. I really did miss him, and I felt guilty for making him worry about me. But it's not like I could have left the penthouse to see Stark. I still had a little less than two weeks left with Kalona. It was kind of crazy because I honestly thought that my time with Kalona would have gone by more slowly, but there were moments when it was going by too fast. In some ways the penthouse was a nice escape from reality. At the penthouse I didn't have to worry about Neferet or her crazy insane plans for world domination. I didn't have to worry about trying to find a way to defeat Neferet while also trying to figure out how to possibly start an new House of Night. It was just Kalona and I together. Still, I knew that I couldn't just stay and hide away from the worlds, but I couldn't help but think that Kalona taking me away with him was a blessing in disguise. Maybe I just needed a break from all the insanity, even though to be alone with Kalona for a month was insanity in itself.

I got dressed a few moments after I woke up, going to the small closet in my room. I picked out a strapless purple dress, leggings and a pair of black and silver flats. I was really starting to wonder how Kalona had stocked the house, especially my room, with things that I loved. This penthouse was definitely a great vacation spot.

I opened the door of my room and headed toward the kitchen in search of Kalona. It was there that I saw the note scrawled on a piece of lined paper. It was so bizarre that Kalona had left me a note telling me where he had gone. It was is if felt that he needed to tell me where he was, which was weird, because that was the kind of thing that people in a relationship did for one another. Well, Kalona and I definitely weren't in a conventional relationship, but maybe one day we could be.

So Kalona was at the temple he had built for me. Well, I had no way to get there. Hell, I didn't even know where it was. So I had no choice but to wait for him. It was at tat moment where I got an odd idea. It would screw with his mind, but I kind of wanted to see how he would react to it. I recalled the shower incident. Kalona hadn't been too pleased with that, so perhaps my idea to wait for him lying on his bed was going too far. I decided not to do it, which was weird because two weeks ago I would have done anything to screw with Kalona's head. Maybe I was starting to care about Kalona. It was a bizarre thought.

I waited in my room for a few hours thinking about Stark and what would happen if I actually started to fall for Kalona. I wondered how he would take it. He would probably go stark raving mad (no pun intended). Oh well, if it came to that, I would deal with that later.

I fell asleep waiting for him; I suppose I was more tired than I thought.

Then I woke up by his touch. It was so gentle and caring. I opened my eyes. "Hey," I said.

"Hey," he said, "I want to do something with you."

I rolled my eyes. "I know," I said.

"I don't meant that," he said quickly, "at least not right now anyway. But I want to do something with you that you really want. So answer my next question. Answer it any way you want."

I gave him an odd look. "Okay," I said slowly, "ask me anything."

"If you could do anything, what would you do? If you could go anywhere, where would you go? Answer my question, and I will give you whatever you want."

The question was shocking, and honestly, I didn't have an answer. "I don't really have an answer."

Kalona pulled me into his arms. "Well when you have an answer for me all you need to do is tell me and I will do whatever you want me to do."

"Okay," I said, still shocked by the question.

"You know Zoey, I think we need to talk about how we are going to move forward."

"Move forward?" I asked, catching a breath.

"My transformation. My getting back to Nyx's path. What do you think it will take to get me back on track."

"I don't know. Kalona, I'm not even eighteen yet. I'm not going to pretend I know how to help you. I think that we can figure this out together. I think you need to be patient."

"Patience is not a quality that I have," said Kalona, simply. "I do not like waiting for what I want. I want to get back on Nyx's path to please you. It is the only way you will agree to be with me, am I correct?"

"Yes. I can't be with you if you are evil, Kalona. I honestly think that you can change. You used to be on of Nyx's beloved Warriors. You were apart of Nyx's world. She loved you."

"Just not the way I loved her," said Kalona, before he could stop himself.

I was suddenly very curious. "Are you ever going to tell me what really happened with that?"

"No," said Kalona. "I do not need to share that part of my life with you. I probably never will."

"Maybe you will," I said, "If we end up together."

"If?" he asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Yes," I said, "if."

"You have never used 'if' before about our relationship."

"Nope," I said, smiling slightly. Then I moved closer to him and I was slightly surprised when I went into flirt mode. "Maybe there is hope for you after all."

He smiled. "You think so?"

I smiled my best flirty smile. "Tell me what you think after this," I said, suddenly feeling an incredibly irresistible urge to kiss him. Which I did. I flung my arms around his neck and kissed him right on the mouth. I inhaled his wonderful scent. He smelled of fresh pine, cool mountain air, and something else that I couldn't identify, something slightly bitter and burnt. Still, his scent was wildly intoxicating, as was his icy heat, the better of two extremes. Kalona's arms tightened around me and returned my kiss. Suddenly I was lying down with him on top of me. My fingers curled around thick locks of his dark hair. He suddenly cupped my face in his hands as e continued to kiss me. After a few moments we progressed to full on making out. Swept up in the passion I let his hand wander up my purple strapless dress. His icy and heated touch sent a jolt of electricity through my body, a shot of adrenaline through my blood stream. His hand explored my chest and I had to admit that I felt a secret shame and a secret pleasure when he touched me.

Then, a few moments later, he peeled of my dress and flung it off the bed behind him. For a moment I let him look at me. I could feel his eyes burning into my flesh. His hands went to my waist and he kissed my neck. He started moving down my body, kissing every inch, and for a moment I wanted him to go on and on, but then I realized that this wasn't right. It wasn't supposed to happen like this. I suddenly pushed him off of me. "No," I said, "it's not supposed to happen this way."

"You were enjoying yourself," he said, his voice was rough. "Don't deny it."

I couldn't deny it, not to myself. But I could lie to him. I could deny my feelings, my longing for the forbidden. "I don't want it to happen this way, if it happens."

"It's going to happen," he reminded me, "you promised."

"I know," I said. "Are you going to make me keep that promise?"

"What do you think?" he asked.

"Yes," I said. "You are going to make me do it."

"By the time our thirty days is up you will want to do it. You will want to keep your promise."

"Why are you always so confident."

"Because, Zoey, I know you refuse to believe this but I do know more about you then you give me credit for. I was blessed by the goddess centuries ago with incredible intuition, and that sense has been honed by centuries of experience. You are a reincarnation of my lost love, and also, you are so incredibly similar to Nyx. You are a mixture of the only women I ever loved. That is why I am drawn to you. That is why I know you, maybe even better than you know yourself."

"That's a lie," I said, taken aback by his revelation.

"You may say that, but you don't mean it. One day you will realize that I am right, and that I have always been right about your feelings for me."

"One day," I repeated, "what if that doesn't happen"

"It will. You will realize that we are meant to be together and you will not be able to deny your feelings for me. You will not be able to push me away like you have been doing ever since we met."

"Why did you choose me? Why was it that when you were released from your earthly prison that you set your sights on me."

"I had no choice in the matter. It was fate, and you can't change fate, and you can't fight against fate forever. When I saw you that day, I didn't even care for Neferet. I never have. Yes I was grateful to her. After all, she did me a great service. She released me and she inadvertently brought me to you, even though she never intended for that to happen. In fact, there were many times when she tried to keep me away from you. But she never succeeded. It was through your own doing that you managed to keep away from me. Not Neferet's."

"I don't think that I am worth all this trouble. I am just an ordinary fledgling. I have nothing to offer you."

"You are anything but ordinary. You are blessed by Nyx. You are her favorite daughter, which is why your Marks are so beautiful and extravagant. That is why your Mark was initially colored in. It is also why you have affinities for all five of the elements, and it is why, despite fate, you have been able to resist me. You are incredibly strong, maybe too strong for your own good."

"Fate," I simply said.

He nodded. "Fate."

Kalona and I both stood up. He retrieved my dress and he pulled it over my head. I was relieved to be fully clothed once again. "Hey," I said, "what would you say if I told you that I liked you?"

"I would say 'I know,'"

I smiled anyway. "Well, I do. I do like you."

He kissed me quickly. "I know."


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N: Good news! I am planning a sequel, and I know how I want this story to end. However, that means that this story needs to shift slightly in a new direction. So here is a short transition chapter. I think there will be at least four more chapters of this story, maybe a couple more than that. So read, relax and review! Happy Reading!**

**Zoey**

I couldn't believe that I had confessed that I liked Kalona. Two days had passed since I did and he had grown increasingly confident and cocky, which honestly wasn't making me like him any more than I already did.

I woke up early and took a shower. The hot water felt good and it calmed my nerves. As I stood in the shower I examined my tattoos, the beautiful intricate patterns that marked me as one of Nyx's children. I suddenly wondered if Kalona had ever had tattoos like mine, ore like any other full-grown vampyre that I had ever known.

The thought of Kalona's already gorgeous skin covered with tattoos of the Goddess seemed incredible to me. I suddenly wished I could see it, but that was silly of me really.

A few moments later I stepped out of the shower and wrapped one of the fluffy towels around my dripping wet body. I took a second towel and wrapped it around my soaking hair. Then I walked out of the sparkling bathroom and down the narrow hallway that led to my room.

When I entered, I found an odd surprise.

My bed was overflowing with roses, maybe half a dozen or so enormous bouquets.

I smiled slightly as I got dressed. Then I went over to the bed and looked at all the roses: red, yellow, pink, white, and few shades in between. Why had Kalona done this? Well if this was some way to get me to follow through on my promise a little bit earlier then it wasn't going to work. Still, I wanted to find out why Kalona had gone through all the trouble.

So after my hair was all brushed and blown out, I went to find Kalona.

He was sitting in the spotless kitchen. He dwarfed the stool he sat on. When he saw me he smiled slightly. "Did you like my flowers?" he asked playfully, a smirk on his perfect lips.

"Yes," I said. "But why did you give me flowers? What's in it for you?"

"Your happiness," he answered, I could here a hint of sarcasm in his voice. Then again I could also hear a trace of sincerity.

"Sure, and you have always thought of my happiness whenever you made any of your decisions."

"Ultimately," he said coolly, "I do, and you just don't usually see it."

"Sure," I said sarcastically. "Come on. Tell me what you want from me."

"I want you to love me," he said. "Women love flowers, and they love those who give them flowers."

"I see," I said, suddenly I couldn't help but laugh. "You really are behind on the times. Flowers are a nice gesture, but modern day women aren't usually swept away by material things, well, most of us anyway."

"Damn," he said, "well then you will have to help me get back to the path of the Goddess as well as help me fit in with the modern world as you like to call it."

"Nothing about you would fit in to the normal, modern world," I said, eying his midnight ebony wings that covered him like a thick cloak.

Kalona cocked his head. "Is that such a bad thing?"

I thought about it for a moment. My world, at least at the House of Night was far from normal. So maybe it was okay if he didn't fit into the normal world, but I still hadn't decided if I really wanted him in my life anyway. "Maybe not, but then again, maybe I don't want you in my life anyway."

Kalona scowled at me, looking as if I had deeply offended him. "You're lying to me, Zoey. You want me in your life, and if you don't at this moment, you will realize soon that you not only want me in your life, but that you need me in your life."

"Why are you always so confident about us ending up together?"

"Because I recognize the truth, and soon, my Zoey, so will you."

"Sure," I said, rolling my eyes. "I'm only here for another week. Then I'm going to leave." I knew that I was bluffing, well I wasn't sure about the leaving part exactly, but sometimes I definitely wanted to, then again there were times when I didn't want to. Kalona could tell that I was totally bluffing, and he let me know it too.

Kalona stood up and came over to me. He took my hands in his and he kissed them. Then he pulled me into his arms and kissed my forehead. Then he kissed my cheek, and then he stopped on my lips.

I tried to fight against his allure, but resistance at this point was futile. His kisses were always perfect. They sent the perfect combination of heat and adrenaline running through my body. They made me feel loved, but also they made me feel like I was desired, which really shouldn't matter, but somehow it did. Kalona made me feel great when he kissed me. But along with that passion, I felt a sort of fear when he kissed me. A fear that I would be swept away and swallowed by his Darkness. A fear that I would cease to be myself when I was with him. I didn't want that to happen. That's why I needed to be certain that Kalona could change, and I still was pretty sure that he couldn't. Living with him for nearly a month hadn't really allowed me to get to know him, at least not in the way I wanted to get to know him. He was still pretty much a jerk all the time, and whenever he acted sweet, it was just that: an act. He never really meant it. He was never really sincere in his words and actions. Except for maybe the whole building the temple thing. That seemed sincere, but then again there was no way to be sure. I was just too unsure about Kalona to want to stay with him, to try and be with him in permanent sense.

When we broke the kiss I turned away from him and ran to my room.

-/-

A sudden wave of guilt washed over me. No, washed isn't really the correct word. It crushed over me. I was truly stardom to develop real feelings for Kalona. I mean I suppose I had always had an attraction, a sort of connection with Kalona. But that had only been because I was the reincarnation of A-ya, the ancient Cherokee maiden who had been created specifically to love and entrap Kalona. As far as my own feelings went, I was starting to care for Kalona. Which quite honestly scared the hell out of me.

Kalona represented everything I stood against. He was cruel, dishonest, totally evil, somewhat insane, and a bunch of other things. He also had completely turned away from the Goddess I loved. His heart, body and even his very soul were consumed by Darkness. I wasn't sure that he could ever liberate himself from it.

In the past, I had always been able to resist Kalona. I could always ignore, if not deny, the connection between us, there was something all wrong about him. Because of this I could ultimately reject Kalona. However, that was all starting to change now.

I had been alone with him so long, and even though most of the time he was a total ass hole, his false charms had finally started to break down my defenses. It was honestly scaring the hell out of me and I wanted nothing more than to run away and never ever see Kalona again. However, from recent experiences I knew that Kalona would never truly give me up. He would continue to chase after me until I finally accepted him. No matter how long it took, no matter what it took, Kalona would always come for me.

His wild determination was frightening. Was I really even worth it? Or was he just going after me just to get me, just to prove he could. That's what I thought most of the time. The thought was always lurking in my mind whenever Kalona did something kind for me. I truly believed that Kalona couldn't 't change for me, well I believed it most of the time. The only time I even had a glimmer of hope was when I realized that I was starting to feel something for Kalona. The moment he had taken me to the temple he built. Really, that was the first moment I felt any real feelings for Kalona. A feeling that didn't come from A-ya. A feeling that came from my heart, despite my free will, and despite the fact that Kalona was totally wrong for me, and the fact that he was totally evil and consumed by Darkness.

Reflecting on Kalona's behavior I made a decision. I had to survive one more week with Kalona. I had to fight against the powerful connection that bound us together, and the new connection that, if I weren't careful, would start to form. That's all I had to do, well, I guess I also had to sleep with him. But I decided I could try anything to get out of my promise. I would resist his charms for the next week. They weren't sincere anyway. Yes. I would survive one more week, then I would return to my old life. I would return to Stark, a guy who could actually love me. A guy who was actually reliable.

I felt slightly happier now that I had made this decision.

Of Course Kalona came into my room to comfort me and see how I was feeling, and that ruined everything.

**Kalona**

Kalona realized that now it was time to be open with him. He had not only been lying to Zoey, but he had also been lying to himself.

Even after nearly a month of alone time with Zoey, he had still not developed any real feelings for her. For weeks he had been lying to himself. He had been lying to Zoey.

The truth was that Kalona's heart was so overwhelmed by darkness that there was absolutely no room for love. There was no room for Light. Most of all, there was definitely no room for Nyx, for Zoey.

Still, deep down Kalona wanted to fall in love with Zoey. He now realized that he wanted it more than anything, He wanted to feel those feelings that he had once felt for Nyx, for A-ya. But he hadn't and honestly, he had no idea what would possibly plant the seeds of love within his heart. What would rekindle the long dead flame of Light within his heart? All those times he had thought he felt something, it turned out not to be real. Kalona was such a good actor sometimes that even he been fooled himself. The temple had been the closest thing to him being sincere, but even that had been a halfhearted effort at best. He knew this now; he just hoped that Zoey wouldn't discover it as well.

Kalona honestly had no idea if it was even possible for him to love. It had been centuries since he had loved anyone, and he hadn't thought he would ever love again. When he had first seen Zoey he knew that if he were ever to love again that he would want to be in love with Zoey.

Even back then it had seemed ridiculous. What could he possibly want with love? It made him vulnerable. It made him weak.

So Kalona had been lying to himself. He had thought that he could fall in love with Zoey Redbird. He thought that he could reawaken something that had long been banished from his heart. Bringing her to be alone with him for a month had seemed like the ideal situation to rediscover the lost emotion. It hadn't happened yet. He needed more time.

Now more than ever it was important for him to fall in love with Zoey Redbird. It was also important for him to make her fall in love with him. He didn't want to be denied what he wanted again. It had happened too many times before.

So Kalona decided that for the next week he would try whatever he could to make himself start to feel more than something but desire and lust for Zoey Redbird. His plane to live with her alone for thirty days hadn't really worked. Had he expected it to work? Was there still a chance that he could start to fall in love with her in a week. Was there a chance that she could fall in love with him? Was there a chance that she would stay with him until they could fall in love with each other? Probably not.

Deep down he sensed that Zoey was starting to fall for him, but quite honestly he didn't think that she realized it yet. Also, there was a problem. He had killed her human consort and beyond that, Zoey was still in love with another.

Kalona refused to blame himself for the situation at hand. It Stark was ruining everything. He needed to find a way to get him out of the picture.

Time. There wasn't enough time. He only had a mere seven days. Well, one thing was for sure. The next seven days would be a struggle, and Kalona couldn't help but think that Zoey would not be his in seven days.


	22. Chapter 22

**Zoey**

I avoided Kalona the entire day. Luckily, that was pretty easy since we were sleeping for most of it. I woke up around eleven o'clock at night, which was pretty late for me. I was usually up around eight or nine.

When I woke up I felt pretty good though because I realized that this was the day that I would get to see Stevie Rae. I remembered last week when Rephaim had come to the penthouse. It had totally taken me by surprise, but it hadn't taken Kalona by surprise. He had known that his son would visit, and he had deliberately not told her about it.

Well, it didn't really matter. All that mattered is that I was going to see my best friend. I would see someone who could help me work through my developing feelings with Kalona. Which were totally confusing. I was so confused about what I was feeling for Kalona. Especially when I knew that he could never really feel for me the way I was starting to feel for him. It was so incredibly aggravating.

It would feel so good to finally have someone to talk to about everything I was feeling. I just hoped Kalona would allow Stevie Rae to come. I knew that he was probably upset with me after I had been avoiding him. But really, what else was I supposed to do. He had come to me last night after I had walked away from him.

He had opened the door and as soon as he had entered my heart sort of flipped around in my chest. It had never happened before, at least not when I was around Kalona, maybe it had happened with Stark. I had never felt the strange sensation. My heart had also started to beat faster. I smiled for a moment but forced the smile away. I was supposed to be upset with him. I was supposed to be resisting him. I didn't want to give him any false hope. Yet, my heart was racing at the vey sight of him.

I remembered very clearly the day he had risen. I hadn't felt this way towards him since the very first instant I saw him. However, when I had run away from the House of Night, and when Rephaim had attacked me, and when I had to go back, Kalona had healed me. Then he had tried to kill Darius. My attraction for him had shattered. I saw how evil he was. I saw what he was capable of. Yes, my attraction had shattered like a broken mirror. I had thought that the pieces would never reassemble, that I would never, ever feel the way I did for him ever again.

But somehow, against all odds, the pieces had come back together. I was staring to have feelings for him again, and now this time they weren't just A-ya's but they were my own. They had come from my own heart, not the part of my spirit that belonged to A-ya. This was scaring the hell out of me.

How could I even possibly have feelings for him after everything that he had done to me? He had killed Heath, he had almost killed Stark. He had hurt so many at the House of Night, and he was constantly making me feel like crap. Well, except for when he mad me feel desired, loved, and worthwhile. But Kalona was not the only one who could make me feel that way. Stark had made me feel that way. Heath had made me feel that way, even Erik, in his own way had made me feel that way. So what if Kalona made me feel that way so much more than any other guy? What did it matter how he made me feel when he was acting kind. I knew he wasn't really that kind. It was always nothing but an act. He could never be the guy I wanted to be with, no matter how much he was starting to make me wish that he could.

Anyway, Kalona had come in. He had wrapped his incredibly strong arms around me. He had held me close and whispered false words of comfort. Really, Kalona could rival Erik in acting. I felt that if Kalona were a normal vampyre he would become one of the super, sexy, badass movie stars that every single girl on the planet fell in love with. Of course, there was nothing normal about Kalona, which meant that he would probably fit into my life perfectly, since my life had lost anything normal.

After a few minutes of letting him act like he cared I had sent him away. He had immediately dropped the caring act. Anger had filled his amber eyes. "Don't push me away," he had said. I could hear the subtle rage in his dark voice. An emotion that I knew would explode sooner or later.

"Leave me alone," I had said.

With those words Kalona had seized my wrists and he had squeezed them hard. I could tell that he was stopping himself from doing any serious damage, but when he released me and stalked out of my room I noticed that his grip had left rings of scarlet around my pale wrists. On of his sharp nails had even scratched me. A trickle of blood dripped down my right wrist and landed on the black bed sheets.

I was then reminded of the damage that Kalona could do. His deadly allure and power were a dangerous and possibly lethal combination. That had given me an idea.

For our last week together, after I had seen Stevie Rae of course, I would try my best to piss Kalona off. This was childish I knew, but it was perhaps the only way that I could think of to fight against my developing feelings for Kalona. Also maybe I would piss him off so much that he would stop chasing after me. Maybe I would piss him off so much that he would decide that I wasn't worth the trouble. Then my life would be a little more normal.

Of course, there was danger in this plan. Kalona was a deadly being, and I probably shouldn't be screwing with him. I knew that if I pissed him off too much he could do some serious damage. Hell, he could probably kill me if he wanted to. But I didn't think that Kalona had it in him to kill me. Even if he could never love me, I knew that he wanted me, and ever since he had been released from his earthly prison, he had done everything to keep me alive. I knew he didn't want me dead. So that's why I had a little faith in my plan. Still it was risky, but if I got hurt physically at least I wouldn't get hurt emotionally.

I got dressed and wandered over to the kitchen to grab something for a late breakfast.

Kalona was sitting by the counter waiting for me. "At last she is awake," he said. "I thought you were avoiding me."

"I was," I said, "I mean I am. Look, I really don't want to spend time with you today. All I want is to see Stevie Rae and spend time with her. You promised that Rephaim could bring her. You're not going to break that promise are you?"

Kalona looked away from me. I didn't feel very reassured. "Is it really that important to you?"

"Yes. It is important to me. If you break your promise I'm going to leave tonight, with Rephaim."

"No. You are not leaving me. Stevie Rae can come. If it is really, truly important to you."

"It is." I took an enormous bagel from the breadbox and a bottle of water from the fridge. "Tell me when she gets here," I said turning away. Kalona stood up and touched my shoulder. With one forceful movement he turned me around to face him.

"Why are you doing this, Zoey? Why are you avoiding me? I don't understand."

"You know what," I said, "I really don't want to get into this. I just want to survive this last week."

"There you go again, talking about surviving. It's not as if I am torturing you, Zoey. I am not being cruel towards you. I have done nothing but make sure that the penthouse has been stocked with everything that you need to be happy. I have done nothing without considering you"

I held back a laugh before scowling at him. "Do I look happy to you, Kalona? Do I act happy when I am with you?"

"Yes," he said. "Most of the time. I have done so much for you in the past few weeks and you refuse to acknowledge anything that I do for you."

"It's because everything that you do for me comes with some kind of catch. You never do anything for me unless you can get something out of it. You are selfish."

"Like what?" Kalona had an odd expression on his freakishly handsome face, and I couldn't help but notice that when he looked upset, something deep inside of me always wanted to say something to stop him from being upset.

"Well, you built me a temple, and you promised to change so I would sleep with you, which was absolutely ridiculous. You gave me roses for goddess knows what reason. You say nice things to me just so you can get me trust you. You act like you respect me. Then you lie to me or hurt me in some way. You even threatened to kill Stark if I didn't stay here with you."

"It was an empty threat," mumbled Kalona.

I paused and remembered what had gotten me here in the first place. "You said that if I stayed with you for a month and decided that we couldn't be together that you would leave me alone. Then you admitted that you would never leave me alone. What the hell was the point of me coming here? If anything, it made me realize that you are way more of a jerk than I thought you were before."

Kalona scowled at me. "Where is all this anger coming from Zoey?" Kalona sounded pissed, but he also sounded vaguely confused, and taken aback.

I laughed. Why the hell did Kalona think he had the right to be pissed off with me? I made myself stop laughing before I said, "Get this through your head now," I said, "I don't like you. I never will. That's why I'm just going to try and survive our last week together. Then I'm going to walk out of here and I will never ever give you another thought." I was totally lying about some of what I said. I hoped Kalona couldn't tell, but I knew he could. I was watching his face as I said everything. I was searching for any kind of decent emotion. But there was none to be found. I could see the darkness stir in his gorgeous amber eyes. I could see the incredible rage. I could see jealousy, and even a glint of hatred. Was it hatred for me? There was no compassion, no kindness, no love, nothing positive at all. This confirmed my affirmation that the past few weeks had been nothing but a huge waste of time.

Kalona clenched his fists. "Stop lying to me," he said in a dangerously low voice. "Why are you doing this to me?"

"I'm not lying," I said. "I'm being totally honest, something that you are incapable of doing." Yes, I was lying, but who cares. I was trying to get rid of the feelings I had for Kalona. They were messing with my head. They were pushing Stark from my heart and they were pushing away the memory of Heath. I couldn't stand for that to happen. I wasn't going to change that I was to be with a totally evil immortal that I kind of wanted to be with. It wasn't worth the heartache. I could see the anger in his eyes. A few more days of treating him like this and he would want me out of his life forever, and I could get rid of the developing feelings for Kalona. It would all be for the best. I tried to ignore the crappy feeling in my heart as I continued to lecture Kalona. I will admit that it got pretty ugly, then a thought came into my head. "I hate you," I said without thinking. "You have done nothing to make me feel anything else for you." Had I known how he would have reacted, I never would have told him that I hated him, because sometimes, I really didn't hate him.

"Zoey." He practically screamed my name and he seized my wrists. Then something totally bizarre happened.

I felt a burning sensation. I looked down. Kalona's hands had turned black and the blackness was moving from his hands to mine. The Darkness seared my skin. Hot tears appeared in the corner of my eyes. I couldn't wipe them away. Kalona was holding me too tightly.

My stomach twisted into an enormous knot as I continued to observe what was happening. Tendrils of Darkness oozed from Kalona's hands. They wrapped around my wrists, slicing my skin as they did so. I watched as a few drops of my scarlet blood dripped from the shadowy lacerations, staining the spotless floor. Kalona's grip tightened. I wanted to scream in agony, but the scream got caught in my throat. My wrists burned like fire, no worse than fire, and then the pain started moving up my arms.

I looked up at Kalona. His face had transformed into the mask of a madman. His eyes had turned scarlet like blood. They were rimmed with the ebony of Darkness. A feral smile played across his perfect lips. It made him look psychotic as if he was enjoying my pain.

Before I knew it Kalona's ands moved to my hips. The nasty, sticky Darkness wrapped around my stomach, slicing the skin. I recoiled in pain and fell hard against Kalona's bare chest. A soft laugh escaped his lips. Kalona was torturing me for the first time. I never thought it would come to this. I looked down at the floor. There was a small puddle of blood on the floor.

Burning hot tears were now running down my face. "Kalona, stop it," I cried.

He ignored my incredible pain. "No. You don't hate me. Take it back. You deserve to suffer for all you have said to me today."

"Kalona," I said, "stop. Look at what you are doing to me."

My tank top was now smeared with blood. I was practically double over with pain. Kalona was the only thing holding me up. If he hadn't been holding me in his iron grip, I would have crumpled to the floor. However, Kalona wasn't showing any sign that he was going to stop. He was enjoying my agony.

His hands moved to my neck. The pain increased tenfold. "Kalona," I begged, "stop this now. If you care about me at all stop this now."

"Tell me you love me," he demanded, sounding like a madman.

"I'm not going to lie to you."

"It wouldn't be a lie, Zoey," he said, sounding totally deranged. "It would be the truth. Admit the truth to yourself, Zoey. Admit the truth to me. So say it now and I will take away all your pain."

"I don't love you," I said. "I never will."

"Stop lying to me. Stop lying to yourself. I will take away all your pain. All you have to do is tell me the truth. You love me. So say it."

"No!" I screamed. Then with all the strength I could muster I somehow managed to break free of Kalona's iron grip. The effort, however, took all of my strength and I fell to the floor, in the puddle of my blood. I couldn't move. My pain was paralyzing. But it was more than that. Kalona was a monster. He had never reacted in this way before, and I had said some harsh things to him, but now, with the words "I hate you", words that I didn't even mean to say, I had sent him into a raging and violently cruel tailspin.

I looked up at Kalona who was looking down at me, confused, as if he was trying to figure out what he had just done.

Since I was a vampyre, well a fledgling at least, I healed fast. However, I hadn't realized how much blood I had lost by Kalona's attack. It was almost as bad as when Rephaim had attacked me. I needed blood to heal, and while a little bit of pain had gone away I was still in incredible pain and I was still losing quite a bit of blood. I needed blood to replace the blood I had lost. But I had no strength to get up. I had no strength to move. "Kalona," I said weakly, "what have you done?"

Kalona looked down at me. The color had drained away from his gorgeous face. "What have I done?" repeated Kalona as he looked down in horror at what he had done to me. For the fist time I had known him, he looked genuinely concerned.

Kalona knelt down beside me. He pulled up my tank top to expose a totally nasty laceration. Blood was oozing from it in thick, unsightly globs. He looked at my wrists and at my neck, which were equally as bloody. "What have I done?" he repeated, sounding genuinely concerned.

Then he did something else that was unexpected. He stood up and took a small knife from the kitchen drawer. He came back to me and knelt beside me. I watched as he sliced his wrist with the knife. When he finished, the silver knife was covered in what could only be described as the most brilliant shade of scarlet I had ever seen in my entire life. It was like a ruby. The blood glistened like a ruby. It was brilliant in its beauty. My one blood paled in compassion to his immortal blood.

He lowered his wrist to my mouth. "Drink," he said to me, still sounding totally insane.

"No," I said, guessing at what would happen if I drank Kalona's blood. Even though I really couldn't fathom what might happen. Judging from the way that Kalona's blood glistened unlike anything I had ever seen, who knew what would happen if I drank his blood. Would it enhance my powers? Would it lengthen my life? What the hell would happen? However, there was one thing I knew that would happen if I drank Kalona's blood. We would Imprint. There was no way in hell I could let that happen. Imprinting with Kalona was probably the worst conceivable possibility. "I'm not drinking your blood."

"Yes, you are. You need to. You need it to heal. Save yourself." His voice was dark, demanding, and worried.

"No," I said, even though I could feel myself getting weaker.

"Do it now," he ordered. "I caused this, now I need to heal you. Let me take responsibility for my actions. Drink my blood Zoey. You need it."

"I don't need it. I'm not prepared to deal with what might happen if I drink your blood. Just take me to my room."

"I will. Just drink from me first."

"No," I said. My voice was shaking, and I tried to sound as firm as I could.

"Do it now," he repeated.

I was about to say no again, but the scent of his blood hit me like a speeding bullet. Never had I smelled something so absolutely alluring. I know it sounds nasty but I really needed blood to start to heal. Kalona was offering me his. I knew I needed to take it, even though I hardly knew the ramifications of my actions.

But I needed to accept his offer. His blood was irresistible. It was way more alluring than Heath's blood. Kalona lowered his wrist to my mouth and I stuck my tongue out to accept his blood. Later I would realize that it was probably one of the worst mistakes I would make.

But at the moment it as the only thing to do. The first taste of Kalona's blood was like a shot of some kind of drug. A feeling of euphoria raced through my veins, through my body, through my very soul. I suddenly felt reenergized and revitalized.

I had drunk from someone before. However, Heath's blood tasted like vegetables compared to the taste of Kalona's blood. Kalona's blood was thick and rich and delicious. I knew that it seemed pretty sick that I enjoyed the taste of blood. Hell, blood lust wasn't even supposed to happen until I was a sixth former. But I was special. I was the exception to the rules.

That first taste of Kalona's blood was like an intoxicating and addicting gateway drug. As soon as my tongue touched his skin, the blood started coming faster. I vaguely remembered the scientific reasons for why this happened, but they didn't seem to matter.

I lifted my hands and pressed Kalona's wrist against my mouth as I drank from him. And suddenly I knew that the feelings I was starting to feel for Kalona had increased. More than that, they had intensified. This moment with Kalona, drinking his blood, was more intense than sex. His blood coursed through my veins and I could immediately feel the effects of it. My pain started to fade away. My wounds started to heal.

Then came the incredible joy, the incredible ecstasy from drinking his blood. One of us moaned, and I wasn't sure which of us it was. But it didn't even matter. Kalona was suddenly on top of me. I knew that we were both experiencing an amazing and wonderfully unique experience.

After a few minutes my thirst for blood was quenched. I stopped drinking and let go of Kalona's wrist. His wound healed almost instantaneously.

I looked at my stomach. It was completely healed, which was totally bizarre. I supposed that it was one of the effects of drinking Kalona's blood. My wrists and neck were fully healed as well. I supposed that immortal blood really did a body good.

After the relief of the pain I had felt faded away, I realized something new.

I looked up at Kalona, and he was looking at me in a way he had never looked at me before. I saw a trace of something new in his gorgeous amber eyes. Devotion? I wasn't sure, but there was something I was sure of.

My heart was racing. It was thumping so hard that I thought it would beat right out of my chest.

I looked at Kalona and the truth hit me like a speeding bullet. No, worse than that. It was as if I had just been hit by a train. It was as if I had died and been reborn by the strength of this new bond. I suddenly realized that because I had drank Kalona's blood, I was now Imprinted with him. I hadn't even known that was possible. Kalona was an immortal for Goddess sake. Yet we were now Imprinted. Just as Stevie Rae and Rephaim were Imprinted.

I looked up at Kalona and I wondered what I looked like to him. Because to me, he looked like the most beautiful being in the world, in the whole history of the world. No one could ever compare to how gorgeous he was. His presence had pushed all thoughts of Stark from my mind, and all memories of Heath, and I didn't even care. All that was left was Kalona. For a brief moment in time, Kalona was the only thing that mattered.

The gorgeous winged immortal lifted me into his arms. "What have I done?" he asked again.

"We Imprinted," I said, hardly willing to believe it.

"Oh Zoey," he said, his voice quaking with something that sounded like fear, "this is all my fault. I could have killed you."

"I wouldn't have died," I said, "I didn't lose that much blood."

"I could have killed you," he said again, "all because of simple words that were said out of anger. I could have killed you." Each time he said the phrase, I could tell that it hurt him to say it.

"You didn't kill me. You healed me. Granted you shouldn't have done this in the first place, you should have just ignored my words. I didn't really mean them. But what I did mean was that I couldn't see us having a relationship."

"What do you say now?" he asked, sounding eager. "I have never been Imprinted with someone before, even though I very much wanted and Imprint with Nyx. I never got one."

"I don't want a relationship with you. You hurt me so badly and you enjoyed my pain. You didn't stop when I begged you to stop. Beyond that you have hurt me in so many ways. I don't want an Imprint with you, and this kind of Imprint is definitely different than anything I have ever seen or heard about. I am a fledgling and you are an immortal. This is definitely unorthodox. I don't want a relationship with you. But since we Imprinted, I don't see that I have much of a choice."

"So you will stay with me. You will not leave me?"

"I'm going to try everything I can to break this unconventional Imprint. I am going to leave you in a week. Know this now Kalona. This Imprint wasn't made from love. It was made from guilt. I don't want an Imprint like that. So I'm going to try and break it."

Kalona scowled at me. "How could you even say such a thing. To do that would cause us both incredible pain"

"You would get over it eventually," I said, "and I would get over it quickly. I hadn't noticed it, but Kalona had taken me to my room. Now he set me down on the bed.

"Tonight has made it very clear to me that we can never be together."

"I saved you," he said.

"Well, you wouldn't have had to save me if you hadn't overreacted to the truth. Kalona, you and I have no future together. We may be Imprinted, but I swear to you that it won't be for long. I don't care if it hurts to break an Imprint. It would hurt much more to stay Imprinted with you."

The anger returned to Kalona's voice. "No, Zoey. You can't do that. You can't just cut yourself off from me. We are connected, and now our connection is stronger than ever. We need each other."

"I never wanted a connection with you, Kalona. I never wanted to be with you. I'm not A-ya. I wasn't born to be with you. I wasn't born to love you."

"You can't always have what you want. Like it or not Zoey, you now belong to me." He bent over to kiss me, but I smacked him away.

"You did this against my will," I said. "I didn't want to drink from you, but you forced me. You took away my free will. I don't belong to you."

"You will always have your fee will. I would not take that away from you. I didn't force you to do anything. It was your heart, your very soul, that told you to drink from me. It is you who chose to commit the act that would end with an Imprint."

"Shut up," I said, feeling lame about the retort.

"Zoey," he said, his dark voice issuing a warning, "we will discuss this later. Right now you must rest. Your friend will arrive soon and I do not want her or my son to be suspicious about anything. You are not to tell them what happened today. Am I clear?"

"You aren't the boss of me," I spat back at him, totally pissed off now.

Kalona laughed. "Oh my little Zoey. Your resistance is futile. Now that we are Imprinted you rightfully belong to me." He bent down and brushed his lips against mine. Then he turned away and left my room, laughing loudly at what had just happened.

I grimaced as I felt a sudden emptiness in my heart now that he was gone. I couldn't believe I had Imprinted with someone that had tried to kill me. Now I knew that I had to escape Kalona at all costs. I prayed to the goddess that Stevie Rae would help me come up with a plan. But for now, I had to wait. I had to wait and I had to dwell on my new Imprint with Kalona. I realized now that drinking from him had been the worst mistake of my life.


	23. Chapter 23

**Stark**

He could hardly believe it. It was like a nightmare. Stark had been awakened by a terrible, bloodcurdling shriek. The screamer, of course was nowhere near. Stark felt Zoey's agony like a dagger through his heart. What had happened to cause her so much pain? He could only assume that it had something to do with Kalona. When Stark found out the cause of his lady's pain, he would punish Kalona for it.

Stark was very aware of the fact that if he challenged Kalona that the immortal could kick his ass with little effort. But that was of little consequence to him. All that mattered is that he needed to find a way to get rid of Zoey's pain.

It was odd. Ever since Zoey's scream, a sound he had only heard distantly in his head, he felt oddly separate from Zoey. Sure, they had the incredibly strong bond that they had established on the Isle of Skye, however, it somehow felt weaker. He couldn't figure out why.

Stark rolled out of the bed that he and Zoey had been sharing. But she had been missing for three weeks. He now knew that she had spent those long weeks with Kalona. Fury boiled deep within his heart. He would make Kalona pay for all that he had done, and if Zoey was in any kind of pain when he found her, he would find a way to kick Kalona's immortal ass out of existence.

When Stark was dressed he walked out of the room that he shared with the love of his life. After walking down the empty corridors for a few moments he determined that everyone else was still asleep. He had to remember that no one else knew Zoey's pain like he did. Otherwise, they would have been up along with him. They would have started to formulate a plan to get her back.

Stark heard muffled footsteps coming from behind him. Stark slid into one of the curtained alcoves. The shimmering fabric had come courtesy of Aphrodite's gold card.

Stevie Rae and Rephaim suddenly appeared from around the corner. They were speaking quietly to one another, and it seemed as if they didn't want to be overheard. In fact they were headed for the exit. Stark wondered why, and he strained to listen to their whispered conversation.

"So you're sure that Zoey's okay?" asked Stevie Rae.

"She was last time I checked. My father swore that he would not harm her. I will believe him until he proves otherwise."

"And he knows that I am coming with you this time?"

"Yes," said Rephaim. "I'm actually surprised that he agreed to this, but my father cares a lot about what Zoey wants, and she really wanted you to come along this time. Although, I must admit, my father is not very good at displaying his developing feelings for Zoey. They fight a lot over it. Sometimes I'm not even sure that he is aware of his feelings for her."

"Do you really think that Kalona could fall in love with Zoey?"

"Yes," he said. "I think anything is possible. Look at us."

"Well, I don't think you are your father's son."

Rephaim smiled at Stevie Rae. "I am my father's son. I try hard not to be sometimes, but I can't deny what I am."

"Well, I guess we should get going. I don't think anyone's awake yet. So we should hurry."

Stevie Rae and Rephaim quickened their pace as they walked towards the exit of the tunnels.

Stark threw back the curtain. He could hardly believe what he heard. Stevie Rae and Rephaim had known where Zoey was all along. They hadn't told anyone. He should have expected that kind of behavior from Rephaim. After all, as he said, he was his father's son. However, he couldn't believe that Stevie Rae hadn't told him, or anyone else for that matter, the truth. She was supposed to be Zoey's best friend for Goddess sake. Oh well, Stark would talk to Stevie Rae about this betrayal later. For now it was more important to follow them and discover Zoey's location so he could rescue her from Kalona.

Stark followed after them, being careful not to be noticed. They were all out in the open. Stark saw Stevie Rae and Rephaim head towards Zoey's little VW bug, which was parked across the street from the depot. Stark ran as fast has he could, and with his freakish strength he opened up the trunk and slipped inside the car.

-/-

The drive took over an hour. But The car finally came to a stop. Stark heard the doors open. Then He heard Stevie Rae and Rephaim's hushed whispers as they locked up the little bug. Stark waited for a few moments and then got out of the car.

They were in a forest on one of the small mountains just outside of Tulsa. He saw Stevie Rae and Rephaim kinking up a narrow, hardly visible, trail just ahead of him. He followed them silently.

After a ten-minute hike they reached an elegant penthouse. Stark could hardly believe his eyes. He his behind a tree. From his hiding spot he could see Stevie Rae and Rephaim go up to the polished front door of the magnificent penthouse. Stark waited, barely breathing as he waited for the door to be open.

**Stevie Rae**

Kalona opened the door of the penthouse. Stevie Rae was caught off guard by how much he looked like his son.

"Father," said Rephaim.

"Son," he replied, nodding tightly. "Come in."

Stevie Rae gripped Rephaim's hand tightly as they entered the elegant penthouse. Stevie Rae was blown away by what she saw. It was large and tastefully decorated. It was definitely an ideal place for a vacation shot, well besides the actual location. After a few minutes of looking around Stevie Rae asked, "Where is Zoey?"

Kalona looked at Stevie Rae hesitantly, as if he didn't want her to see her best friend. "She's upstairs. I will lead you there." Kalona looked towards his son. "Rephaim, wait her for me. I wish to speak with you while Stevie Rae and Zoey speak to each other."

Stevie Rae squeezed Rephaim's hand before she let him go. Rephaim looked towards his father, "Okay," was all he said. He watched as Stevie Rae followed his father up the stairs towards Zoey's room.

"So," said Stevie Rae, hoping to break the awkward silence. "Are you and Zoey getting along?" It was a ridiculous question and Stevie Rae knew she would get a full report from Zoey in a few moments, but walking along the hallway with Kalona in silence was just strange.

"Yes," said Kalona. Stevie Rae could tell by the tone of his voice that he was lying to her, but she didn't press him for details.

Kalona stopped at a closed door. "I will send Rephaim up for you when it comes time for you to leave," was all he said before turning away and walking down the hall.

**Zoey**

"Stevie Rae!" I exclaimed as I ran to give her a hug. I ignored the slight pain I was still feeling from Kalona's outburst. "I am so glad to see you!"

Stevie Rae hugged me back and whispered "Me too. I didn't think I would see you for at least another week."

"Yeah," I said, letting my best friend go. "I'm surprised Kalona allowed you to come."

"Me too, but I'm glad he did. Rephaim said he only allowed it because your happiness means a lot to him."

I laughed. "Is that what he said? Well if that's true, Kalona certainly has been fooling me for the past few weeks."

Stevie Rae and I walked over and sat on my bed. "What do you mean by that?" she asked.

I paused, pondering how I would answer the question. Should I tell the whole story? I probably should. I mean Stevie Rae was my best friend for Goddess sake. If anyone could understand and help me out it would be her.

"It's a long story," I said.

Stevie Rae grinned at me. "I think we have the time."

I suddenly hugged her and then I told her the entire story. From Kalona pretending that we had slept together, him threatening Stark, the temple, all of our fights. I was just about to tell her about what happened this morning, but something stopped me.

Stevie Rae thought my story was done because I had stopped talking.

"Oh Goddess Zoey," she said, sounding like my familiar, good natured, and now worried best friend. "You have been through a lot in the past few weeks. Sounds like your time with Kalona has been a roller coaster."

Yeah, I thought, and I'm not even telling you the worst part, I smiled slightly. "It has," I said hesitantly.

Those two words, or rather the way I said them, made it clear to Stevie Rae that there was something I wasn't telling her. Goddess, sometimes I wished she wasn't so sensitive and compassionate.

"Zoey," she whispered, "what are you not telling me?"

"Nothing," I said too quickly.

"You know you can tell me anything," she said.

"Not this," I answered. It was a totally lame response. But honestly, how could I tell Stevie Rae that Kalona had almost killed me, then given me his blood, and beyond that that I was obligated to sleep with him in a week. It was totally insane. Plus, Kalona had basically forbidden me to tell anyone. That meant Stevie Rae and Rephaim.

"Why?" she asked. "Will Kalona get angry if you tell me?"

"Yes," I whispered.

"Come on Zoey, I can sense that whatever you are hiding is something that you need to tell me. Just do it. I won't tell Kalona. We're best friends. We can tell each other anything."

"I know, it's just that Kalona told me that I couldn't tell you."

"Come on Z, whatever it is, you can tell me. It's hurting you. I can tell."

I sucked in a breath before I revealed the secret. When I finished telling her, a look of astonishment took over her good natured, and slightly worried, grin.

"You Imprinted with Kalona after he tried to kill you?" she said, barely able to form the words.

I was just as shocked as she was. "Well, he didn't give me much of a choice. I was losing a lot of blood. I don't think he was trying to kill me exactly. I think he was jest pissed off because I told him that I hated him, which," I stopped midsentence, not sure if I could bring up my newly developing feelings for Kalona, the mad immortal that had nearly killed me. The evil immortal that I was now Imprinted with. Just as Stevie Rae was Imprinted with his son.

"Zoey, are you serious?" she asked, pausing as if she was trying to figure out how to phrase her next question, "are you starting to fall in love with Kalona?" she finally asked hesitantly.

I honestly hate crying, because, as Heath always liked to point out, I was a nasty snot crier, but honestly I couldn't help but cry. "I don't know. I think so, and to make it worse this Imprint is going to start messing with my head."

Stevie Rae immediately pulled me into a hug and I just kept crying, saying random things about Kalona that pissed me off or made me like him, or both. After a few minutes I had calmed down. I pulled away from my best friend praying that I didn't get snot on her. "Stevie Rae," I asked sniffing slightly, "what am I going to do?"

"Come back with us tonight," she said, without hesitation.

My stomach lurched at the thought of leaving Kalona. Then logic took over and I knew that to leave would be impossible It would just piss Kalona off. "I can't do that," I said. "It would just piss Kalona off."

"Yeah," I figured. "But you only have another week, and if it makes you feel better, Rephaim was really no better than Kalona when we first Imprinted, but the Imprint helped him change, maybe yours can do the same for Kalona. It's a long shot, but there is always hope, and besides, you only are obligated to stay here for one more week. Then you can come home where you belong and Kalona won't bother you anymore."

I sighed. "That's just it," I said, "Kalona told me that he would never give up on me. So I doubt that if I leave him in a week he will leave me alone. He might lay off for a while, but he will always come back, and he will always be a danger to us unless he in on our side. I know he's not with Neferet anymore, but he could do dome serious damage on his own. He doesn't need the Queen of Mean's help to do that." I smiled slightly, not believing that I had just called Neferet the Queen of Mean.

Stevie Rae nodded. "That's true, and that's what stinks about this whole situation. Rephaim never should have led you outside. I wish I could have stopped him that night."

Stevie Rae really did look beat up about it, as if this entire situation was her fault. Well it totally wasn't and I tried to reassure her. "No. It's not Rephaim's fault, and it definitely not your fault. Kalona would have lured me away eventually. Rephaim just made it happen a bit sooner. I'm not mad at either of you, and in Rephaim's case, you are having a great effect on him. He almost seems normal. He has even stood up to his father. I haven't seen anyone besides me do that, and lets face it, it hasn't really gotten me anywhere. But Rephaim, I have faith in our Goddess. I truly believe that Rephaim is now dedicated to Light."

"Oh Zoey, it means so much to me to hear you say that. I thought you hated Rephaim for what he did. I didn't want to have to pick between my best friend and the guy I was Imprinted with."

"I would never ask you to do that. I really think Rephaim has some serious potential. I just wish I could say the same for Kalona. Because I really can't be with a guy who stands against everything I believe in, and part of me is starting to want to be with Kalona. It's pretty much scaring the hell out of me."

We both smiled at each other and I realized how good it felt to talk to someone, especially my best friend, about everything that I had been going through.

So we talked for over an hour, about nothing and everything. It all felt so familiar, so safe. I had almost forgotten about my situation until Stevie Rae mentioned Stark. "He's been going crazy without you. We all have, actually, but everyone, save for Stark is finding something to distract us. The tunnels are almost completely remolded and the Red Vamps have been going to classes. Rephaim and I are getting to know each other, Damien, well, he's till really upset about Jack, and he's upset about you too. But everyone agreed that you could take care of yourself. We're all worried like crazy but we have faith in you."

That made me feel better. I didn't want to cause my friends pain. My friends meant the world to me. But Stark, my stomach lurched with gut-wrenching guilt at the thought of him. "I never meant to cause any of you pain. I was trying to protect us all. As for Stark, he would be in worse pain if he knew the truth. You and Rephaim are the only ones who know that I am with Kalona right?"

"Yes. Rephaim promised Kalona that he wouldn't tell anyone except for me. I promised him that I wouldn't tell anyone else either. Especially not Stark."

"I feel so guilty for doing this to Stark, and I have been feeling even worse because of the fact that I might be falling for Kalona. I really don't want to fall for him."

"Well, sometimes those we don't want to fall for turn out to be the best ones," said Stevie Rae speaking from experience. "I know Kalona is a long shot, but he may end up surprising you. Let's hope for the best."

We smiled at each other. I was so incredibly glad to see her again.

However, our time together cam to an end too quickly when Kalona knocked on the door. "Come in," I called, thinking it was Rephaim. I was disappointed when the door swung open to reveal Kalona.

"It is time for them to leave," he said, without looking at me. "Say goodbye, Zoey."

We both stood up and I hugged my best friend. "Make sure that Stark doesn't go insane trying to find me. I will see you in a week."

"Bye Zoey," said Stevie Rae, "stay strong and have faith in our Goddess. We all believe in you."

I hugged Stevie Rae again and she turned and left my room. Rephaim was standing in the hallway. He turned to me and said, "Good luck, Zoey. You'll need it." Without any explanation Rephaim turned away to follow Stevie Rae.

I was taken aback by what Rephaim said to me. I couldn't ask Kalona. He probably wouldn't tell me anyway. Still against my instincts I asked him anyway. "What was that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing," said Kalona. Kalona offered his hand. "Come with me Zoey. We will watch them leave."

"What? Are you paranoid that they are going to help me break out of the house?"

"No," he said unconvincingly.

"Well that's just great. You don't trust me."

"You don't trust me either," he said. It was a lame response and even he knew it.

I rolled my eyes and smacked his hands away. Then I left the room and headed for the front of the penthouse.

I heard Kalona follow me.

I swung open the door just in time to see Stevie Rae and Rephaim disappear in the woods.

**Kalona**

Kalona put his hands on Zoey. He felt her tense up because of his touch. He hated the fact that Zoey was so uncomfortable around him. Even more he hated the fact that he had caused it.

"Zoey, let's go inside now," he whispered.

She turned around to face him. "I don't want to spend time with you Kalona."

He scowled down at her. But then he heard something. More than that, he saw something.

Stark was watching them. How did he get here? Did he follow Rephaim and Stevie Rae without their knowledge?

Stark focused his sight on the tree about twenty feet away from the penthouse. He had to keep Zoey from noticing him. But more importantly, he had to show Stark that Zoey no longer belonged to him.

So Kalona took Zoey in his arms and without explanation, he kissed her deeply.

He pressed her against the door and leaned into her so she could not escape him.

He could feel her tension, her anger. It coursed through him like a drug. He thought of angering Stark. The thought caused a shot of joy to jolt through his body. Kalona deepened the kiss and eventually Zoey stopped resisting him and relaxed. She flung her arms around his neck. He could still feel her anger, but it didn't seem to matter.

After a few long wonderful moments they broke the kiss. Kalona pushed Zoey inside the penthouse. "Good night Zoey. I shall see you tomorrow. Go to our bedroom," he said loud enough for Stark to hear him.

Kalona shut the door on Zoey's shocked expression.

Then he whirled around and went to Stark's hiding place. With godlike strength he ripped Stark away from his hidden place. "What are you doing here? How did you get here?"

"I followed Stevie Rae and Rephaim. You are a monster."

Kalona scowled at the foolish Guardian. "Leave this place now or I swear I will kill you. Zoey is mine, and there is nothing you can do about it. She loves me. She chose me. We are Imprinted." Kalona was practically shouting this. He hoped that Zoey wouldn't hear him yelling at Stark.

"You're lying. Zoey would never choose you. You guys are not Imprinted."

"I can't force you to believe me, but Zoey does not want you anymore. She loves me. Now get out before I am forced to end your life."

It didn't take much to frighten Stark away, despite his wild determination. "I will discover the truth," Stark swore. "I will save Zoey from you."

"You already know the truth you fool. And my beloved Zoey does not need to be saved. Now get out of here."

Stark scowled at Kalona and headed down the mountain. Kalona could have sworn he heard him whisper, "you'll pay for this Kalona."

Kalona laughed.


	24. Chapter 24

**Zoey**

"What the hell was that about?" I demanded when Kalona came back into the penthouse. I stepped up to him and got right in his face. I was so close I could have kissed him. But no, he had already done that after saying something totally insane and pushing me back into the penthouse.

Kalona stared at me for a second and then shoved me out of his way.

Oh hell no, he was not going to get out of it this easy. No one says, "wait for me in our bedroom," obnoxiously loud and then gets away with it. Kalona was off his rocker if he thought he would get out of this that easy.

I ran up to him and blocked his way up the stairs. "Stop," I said.

Kalona looked at me as if he was seriously considering pushing me out of his way again. He thought better of it. "Drop it," he said, his voice dark with an edge of hostility that honestly scared me.

"No," I said firmly, trying not to shake as I stood my ground.

"Get out of my way, Zoey. I'm tired."

The excuse was lame and I was so not going to buy it. "Not until you tell me why you acted so weird outside."

"It doesn't matter," he said, "now unless you want to really go up to bed with me, I suggest that you get out of my way."

"I'm never going to sleep with you," I said.

He scowled at me. "Of course you are. We made a deal," he said.

This pissed me off. "You said you would change for me. If you did that then I would sleep with you. But you haven't changed a bit. You tried to kill me instead."

This immediately pissed Kalona off. I saw Darkness stir within his gorgeous amber eyes. His perfect lips twisted into a vicious frown. "I would never try to kill you," he growled.

"Oh yeah?" I said, challenging him. This was the perfect opportunity to piss Kalona off so badly that he would have to kick me out. "Then how come I was losing blood so fast that I almost died? That was your doing; you were trying to kill me. Then you lost your nerve and gave me your blood just because you thought I would be yours. But it didn't work. I will never choose you. I love Stark. I will never love you."

The words caused me pain, but I tried to hide it. I couldn't let Kalona know that I was lying, that I was finally starting to have feelings for him. That in a way, I was secretly glad we were Imprinted, deep within the depths of my heart. But I had hidden those feelings away. I had to make Kalona throw me out, so I could get rid of the feelings that I didn't want.

If Kalona saw through my ruse he didn't give any indication. I took this as a good sign, a sign that Kalona believed every word I said.

For a quick moment I thought I saw something flash in his amber eyes. Pain. At what I was saying. But then it disappeared and what Kalona said next made me question if it had even been there at all. "No, Zoey, you belong to me, and I will make you mine in every way whether you like it or not. Now get out of my way. Or I swear I will strike at you with all the powered I possess."

"You're bluffing," I said, "you won't hurt me. You don't have the guts." I knew I was pissing him off and putting myself in danger, but I didn't even care anymore. I just wanted Kalona to throw me out. I was to the point that if he tried to kill me I wouldn't even care. In some ways it would be better than living and being Imprinted with Kalona and trying to fight him off for the rest of my life.

The blow was bone crushing. My head slammed against one of the edges of the stairs as I fell. I seriously wondered if my skull had a crack in it. I didn't have to wait long to get an answer. I could somehow feel the blood pouring from my wound. It was dripping down the steps in nasty scarlet waves. I was getting lightheaded and within moments I blacked out. The last thing I remember thinking was _am I going to survive?_

**Kalona**

It took Kalona about three seconds to realize that he was totally out of control. He realized it, but he wasn't about to admit it to Zoey. But she had blacked out anyway. She was in no position to fight against him. She had nothing to challenge him with. Yet she continued to do it every day. She had defied him, she had denied him, and she had done so much to him. Normally, it wouldn't have mattered. He would have disposed of her and found another woman to take advantage of.

But Zoey Redbird was different. She was the only woman he wanted and from this point on she was the only woman he would ever want.

_Kalona how could you?_

The voice exploded in his mind. It was Nyx! Why was she speaking to him? Why would she waste her words on someone so undeserving?

_Save my daughter, Kalona. Or I shall never forgive you. You have injured and killed enough. You will not do so anymore._

Never had Kalona wanted to obey a woman! Not in centuries. Ever since he fell from Nyx he had done whatever he please, and he had willingly done Darkness' bidding. But now he wanted to obey. This was his last chance and he knew it. If he failed he would never have Nyx's forgiveness. He would never have Zoey.

Kalona looked down at the young woman he had gravely injured. Her blood was shining on the polished wooden staircase. However, her wound, due to the slight immortal blood in her veins, was already healing. But it wasn't healing fast enough. He knelt down beside her to check out her wound. As he did so he caught a whiff of her blood. It was like a wild, intoxicating drug. He couldn't help himself. He had never had much of a blood lust. But the blood of the Goddess, and now the blood of Zoey Redbird seemed to call to him.

A taste. The best thing he had ever tasted in his entire immortal life. A surge of emotion swept over his heart. The Imprint was stronger then ever, and by giving more blood to Zoey, it would possibly get even stringer.

He would have to replace her lost blood with his own, yet again. Kalona wondered what would happen when he did this. Would their Imprint strengthen? Would Zoey start feeling something for him? The repercussions didn't matter at that point. Kalona needed to obey Nyx and save Zoey.

He ran to kitchen, grabbed a silver flask an enormous steak knife. He sliced the biggest vein in his wrist and watched as his own shining blood drained into the flask. He ran over to Zoey and took her in his arms. Her heart was still beating. He lifted her chin and poured the blood in her mouth. When it was drained, he carefully flipped her over and checked the back of her head. The wound was almost completely healed. Kalona carried her to her bedroom and put her carefully into bed. Then he knelt down beside her.

Looking at her he realized something. He suddenly felt dedicated to her. He didn't want to see anyone but him cause her harm, and even if he caused her harm in the future, he knew he would feel awful about it. For the first time in a long time he felt some sinking feeling in his heart. Was it guilt? He didn't really like it. He didn't want to feel it again. He would keep Zoey safe from now on and he would be careful to control his ferocious temper.

_I hate Kalona so much!_

What? Zoey hadn't spoken at all. But he had heard her voice in his head. Was this part of their Imprint? Kalona looked at Zoey. Her breath was even and calm. But her thoughts were cruel. Kalona could only assume that he had heard her thoughts.

He would discover the new secrets of this Imprint. But first he would wait for Zoey to awaken.

**Zoey**

_Zoey, oh goddess please forgive me. I never meant for it to go this far._

The dark voice woke me from my unconsciousness. My eyes fluttered open and I saw Kalona looking over me. I heard the words again. But Kalona's lips hadn't moved. He hadn't spoken at all. Yet, she had heard him as if he had spoken the words aloud.

What had happened while I was unconscious? She didn't have to think long about it. I had been losing a lot of blood. He had given me more of his blood.

_That bastard._

I looked up at Kalona. His facial expressions were hard to read.

_Zoey, please, please, forgive me!_

It happened again. Maybe I wasn't crazy. "I'm not going to forgive you." 

Kalona scowled at me. I could tell that he was angry. Then I heard his thoughts, which confirmed my suspicions.

_You insignificant fool. I saved you yet again and you do nothing to acknowledge that._

I looked up at Kalona. "You cause this. I'm not going to forgive you. I hate you."

"You don't hate me," he said. "You may hate what I do to you, what I do for you, but you will never actually hate me. I can prove it."

Kalona sat on the bed next to me and swept me into his arms. He kissed me deeply and I couldn't help but lean into him. Nothing could ever compare to his kiss. Especially now since we were Imprinted. But now, kissing him was even better. Our Imprint was stronger and my senses had heightened. I took in all of Kalona's beauty and for a moment I realized that I could be with him for the rest of my life. For the first time, for a brief instant, I realized that this might not be such a bad thing. I prayed that Kalona couldn't read my thoughts, assuming that I could read his.

_Zoey, give into me. You know you want to._

I wasn't sure if Kalona was aware of the fact that I could read his thoughts. I wasn't sure if he could read mine. Just in case though, I sent an unsaid message. _I'm not ready, and after all you have done to me, I don't know if I ever will be._

Kalona, if he heard my message, gave me no indication. He only kissed me again. His hand ran down and he pressed it firmly against the small of my back and pulled me in closer to him. He deepened our kiss, and for a few long wonderful moments I was lost in Kalona, and I forgot all of my rage towards him.

When Kalona broke the kiss he was smiling. I had proved his point. He had won yet again. I scowled at him, frustrated that I had allowed him to break me

He laughed.

I suddenly couldn't help but shout at him. "Let me leave. For the past couple of day I have been trying to piss you off so you would throw me out. I want to leave."

"I'm not going to let you go." He said simply.

"You are forcing me to stay here against my will."

"Fine," he said. "If you sleep with me tonight then I will let you go."

"I'm not going to sleep with you."

"Then we have six more days together, and I plan to make the most of them."

I scowled at him.

_I will make her fall in love with me!_

He swore it silently to himself.

"Whatever. I'm going to sleep."

Kalona kissed me on the lips before letting me go. Then he stood and brushed his lips against my forehead and whispered, "good night," and left the room. He also left me to horrible dreams.


	25. Chapter 25

**Zoey**

_Six days left. _I kept thinking that over and over again as I tried to fall asleep. I tried not to think about how I somehow read Kalona's mind, and I tried to avoid thinking about the fact that maybe he could read my mind too. It was too strange.

Was this because of our Imprint. I remember I could hear what Heath was thinking once in awhile when we were imprinted. But it was never that clear. It was never word for word like what had happened with Kalona. I prayed to Nyx that I would get some answers in the next few days.

-/-

The dreams were horrifying.

They were as vivid as visions.

The first one.

Kalona and I were standing together. Shining tattoos, glittering like obsidian covered his body. I looked down at my own skin. It was covered in tattoos identical to Kalona's. I realized that Darkness had marked me. Or at least that's what it looked like. Kalona spoke to me. His voice was booming. "Zoey, my beloved, you belong to me. Rejoice for now we shall be together for all eternity with Darkness as our master"

The white bull reared its ferocious head.

I screamed and Kalona pulled me in close to him. His touch was like fire on my skin. I cried out in pain, but there was no one to help me. No one to save me from my pain. There were only Kalona and Darkness, who relished my pain.

The second dream.

I was dead, or dying, anyway. Kalona stood over me, laughing. He stopped after a few moments and looked down at me, Darkness blazing in his amber eyes. "You should have listened to me Zoey. You should have chosen me over that foolish Stark. Now I shall kill you both. It I can't have you then no one can."

The pain was paralyzing. It hurt so much that I couldn't even scream. I was suddenly in a glistening pool of blood.

The final dream.

Kalona and I were together. There was a pattern of beautiful tattoos. Sapphire and ebony swirls. My own tattoos were altered as well. Ebony swirls completed my tattoos. Kalona and I were bonded together. Worse than that, I seemed happy about it. However, the worst thing was that I looked bigger than usual. A wave of horror swept over me as I realized that I was pregnant.

-/-

I woke up sweating and screaming. I knew that Kalona would hear me and come running for me. Not that he actually cared about me, but he would still come for me.

Sure enough he threw open the door a moment later. "What is it Zoey?" he asked. His voice sounded strange. Was he actually worried about me? It couldn't be.

I didn't speak. I was still replaying the dreams in my head over and over again. I truly hoped that Kalona couldn't read my mind. But even if he could see the dreams, it didn't really mean much. I wasn't a Prophetess. My dreams meant nothing.

Kalona came over to me and swept me into his arms. "Why did you scream," he asked again.

"Nothing," I lied.

"You're lying," I said.

Kalona studied me for a moment. His amber eyes seemed as if they were penetrating my mind. After a moment, he smiled. "Oh Zoey," he said, "they were just dreams. They mean nothing. We both know that you will end up picking me over Stark eventually. Besides that, you know that I would never kill you."

I looked up at him in astonishment. He had read my mind. He had seen what I had seen. I suddenly felt violated. "You have tried to kill me a few times before, and I'm not going to choose you. Besides, you can't just go around reading people's minds. I don't want you breaking into my head."

"We're Imprinted. We are going to be together eventually. Why are you fighting me? Why can't you just accept me as I am. Why must I try and change for you?"

"Because, I can't be with you. Your heart, and even your very soul are consumed by Darkness. This entire month has been a joke. All this has done for me is give me a break from the real world and all my problems, mainly Neferet. When I accepted your offer I thought you were going to leave me alone when I said I didn't want to be with you. But you lied to me. I'm telling you now that I never want to be with you. I never will be with you. I love Stark, and it's not going to change."

"Oh, Zoey," said Kalona. "I know that you will reconsider." He pulled me closer to him. His iron grip restricted any movement that I might have been able to make. "You will reconsider everything after our last night together. After that night you will never want to leave my side. Then we shall be together for eternity."

"I'm not an immortal," I said. "Besides, I wouldn't want to be with you for eternity. Despite what you may think, you are so not my type."

Kalona set me down on my bed and rolled on top of me. His black wings hung over us. Suddenly I was lost in Darkness. Kalona loomed over me, and the only light I could see was the glint in his amber eyes, the color of whiskey. His voice was dark and seductive. He spoke barely above a whisper. He was so close to me that his breath tickled my skin when he spoke. "I know you prefer weak warriors, but in time you will realize that I have so much more to offer. Why, would you give up an eternity with someone who could really love you, someone who could be your match in every way, for a couple centuries with a foolish Guardian who only thinks he is in love with you,"

"You don't love me. You could never love me. You said it yourself. You don't believe in love."

"You could teach me how to believe in love again," he whispered. "You could teach me devotion to my former goddess."

"You are saying the same things you did a month ago. I have seen no change in you at all. Why the hell would I believe you now?"

Kalona kissed me deeply instead of answering my question. His hands moved to my lower back, and mine wrapped around his neck. Part of me was trying to resist him, but a bigger part of me was begging to accept him. So against my better judgment I accepted Kalona's kiss.

After a few wonderful moments of passion, Kalona broke the kiss. "Zoey, the difference is that if you choose me now, if you agree to be mine, then I in turn will pledge myself to you, and to Nyx. I will be your loyal Consort. I will be your Warrior. I will be everything you could ever want. I can give you whatever you need to be happy. I can change for you and become the person you want to be with. Just agree to be mine and I shall make all your dreams come true."

I wanted to accept his offer. I wanted to believe that he could be the love of my life, the man of my dreams. But I couldn't. "No." I finally said. "I'll stay here with you for the next six days, then I will leave and be with the one I really love."

"You realize that I will never stop pursuing you. You will belong to me eventually, and I swear to you that when you are mine, I will be yours as well. How can you turn this down?"

"I don't believe in owning people, and I don't want to be owned."

_Why isn't this working?_

I read Kalona's mind again. "It's not working because I don't love you. I don't want to be with you."

"Don't read my mind, Zoey. Or you will regret it."

"Then don't read mine," I said. I slipped out from under him. "I'm going to go for a walk."

"No," Kalona said fiercely. "I will not allow you to run away."

"I'm not going to run away," I said.

"Prove it to me. Make me believe you."

"What did you have in mind," I asked. "I want to get out of here for awhile. Even if its just an hour or two. I have been stuck in this penthouse for nearly four weeks."

"Give me your blood and swear on your goddess that you will not run away."

I sighed and offered him my hand.

Kalona sliced the fleshy part of my palm with one of his fingernails. A thin red line of scarlet appeared there. Kalona lifted my hand to his lips ad kissed it. I suddenly knew that he had tasted my blood before. "Swear," he whispered against my palm.

"I swear on Nyx that I will not run away," I said reluctantly.

Kalona pulled me into an iron embrace and kissed me. It was bizarre, because I tasted my own blood on his lips. However, I new that my wound would be healed. Thank goddess that Kalona hadn't drunk enough to set off some kind of sexual reaction.

After a short moment I pulled away from him. "I'll be back before sunrise," I said. "Thank you for this gift Kalona." I turned away from him and headed for the front door.

I heard Kalona say "Then I expect you will repay me for my generosity at a later time."

I ignored the comment. I should have expected that there would be a catch. There always was.

-/-

The air was cool and clean. There was a slight breeze, but it was a warm and pleasant evening. It felt good to be outside. I was so relieved that I had been given this opportunity. Even if there was a catch.

I walked down the path for about fifteen minutes. I was enjoying the quiet, so when I heard a rustle in the bushes behind me I totally freaked out. I stood very still for a moment and tried not to scream. I knew that if I screamed Kalona would come and find me. Then he would bring me back, and my time away from him would be over.

After a few moments of standing completely still, I heard nothing else. I slowly turned around and spent a moment or two making sure that I was alone. When I was sure that I was safe and alone I continued down the trail.

Another few minutes passed and I suddenly heard the pounding of feet coming from behind me. I whipped around and stood my ground. What I saw next was totally surprising. In fact it was so surprising that I can't even believe that I didn't scream.

Stark was running towards me at full speed. He looked crazed, but there was a smile of relief was on his handsome face. In a moment I was in his arms. He held me tightly for a few long moments. I realized how good it felt to be in his arms once again. However, I couldn't help but notice also that it didn't feel as good as I imagined it would. I thought I would have been crying tears of happiness when I saw him again. But I wasn't. I felt as if I was seeing one of my best friends after a long vacation. This was disappointing because I really wanted to be happier about seeing Stark after so long.

However, I stopped thinking about my lack of excitement after Stark kissed me suddenly. We kissed for a long time. When we finally broke apart Stark spoke. "Oh Zoey, I thought that I had lost you. I thought that Kalona had killed you or something." He kissed me again. "I've been so worried," he said sounding a little crazy.

I pulled away from him. "Wait a moment, how did you know about Kalona? How did you find me?"

"I followed Stevie Rae and Rephaim here. I came to save you from Kalona. Come on. Let's leave now. I know the way." Stark seized my hand and pulled me a few feet down the mountain path.

As he did this, my heart started to pound painfully in my chest. The thought of breaking my promise and running away from Kalona was too much to bear. "No," I said. I pulled away from Stark.

Stark whirled around. "What are you doing Zoey, surely you don't want to stay out here with Kalona."

"I don't" I lied, "but I made a promise to Kalona that I wouldn't run away. I swore on Nyx's name. I can't go back on my word. I have to stay here for six more days. If I don't then Kalona will hurt you and everyone else that I love. I can't let that happen. I'm doing this for us. For all of us. I'm trying to get Kalona out of my life."

"So you are not choosing Kalona over me?" Stark asked.

The question took me by surprise. Why would Stark even think that?

"Why would you ask that?"

Stark paused for a moment, as if he didn't want to tell me something. But he thought better of it. "Kalona told me that you were in love with him. He told me that you had chosen him over me. Then he threatened to kill me if I didn't leave. But now I'm glad I stuck around. I knew he was lying. You would never be with such an evil ass hole."

Something inside me stirred. I didn't like what I was hearing. I didn't like it that Stark was insulting Kalona. But I also hated the fact that Stark had talked to Kalona. Kalona had seen and talked to Stark and he hadn't even told me. Well, of course he wouldn't tell me.

"When did you talk to Kalona," I demanded.

"Last night, after Stevie Rae and Rephaim left. I was worried about you. I heard him tell you to go up to his bedroom. I saw him kiss you. I had to confront him."

I remembered the night before. I remembered Kalona's strange behavior. It all made sense to me now. Kalona was just screwing with Stark. This pissed me off and I would totally confront Kalona later. But for now I had to convince Stark that I couldn't run away with him.

"Well, Stark, I still can not go with you. I don't love Kalona, but I don't want him to harm you. I have already lost Heath because of Kalona. I don't want to lose you. You are too important to me." I spoke from my heart and prayed that Stark would listen to me.

"Zoey," he said, "you don't need to stay with Kalona. We will escape together. I will protect you. I can handle Kalona. You don't need to do this. When we go back to the tunnels we will find a way to get rid of Kalona once and for all. Then he will never be a danger to us ever again."

"I don't want to destroy Kalona. I don't want to destroy anyone. Kalona is only a danger to us if I break my promise. As long as I keep my promise he will never hurt anyone I love ever again. I have to do this."

"What did you promise him," demanded Stark fiercely.

"I promised I would stay with him for thirty days. He said if I didn't fall in love with him after thirty day that he would release me and never seek me out again. He also promised that he would never harm any of my friends."

"Zoey, you can't seriously believe that evil demon freak can you?"

"I do believe him. I don't want him to hurt anyone. So I have to go back. But I don't love him Stark. I will never pick him over you. I love you Stark, and you know this. But I have to leave now. I'm doing this for us. Go back to the tunnels. I'll see you in a few days."

"I'm not leaving you, Zoey, not when I have found you at last."

"You have to leave. If you don't Kalona will kill you. I couldn't bear to have that happen."

I flung myself into his arms and kissed him. I tried to ignore the fact that kissing Stark did not feel as good Isa kissing Kalona. I realized it never would again. I was so used to Kalona now, and even though I loved Stark, I realized that maybe I was starting to love Kalona in a deeper and more meaningful way, or at least there was a possibility that I would one day develop those feelings. However, I tried to ignore all that as I kissed him. When we broke the kiss I gave him one last hug. "Go home, Stark," I said. "This is important to me. I love you, James Stark."

"I love you, Zoey Redbird. Come back to me soon. We have all missed you."

"I will be back at tunnels in a few days. Then Kalona will be out of our lives forever."

Stark gave me a sad look. Then he turned around and after a few moments he disappeared down the mountain path. I suddenly felt emptier inside. But now I knew it was time to go back. I also knew that I had something worth fighting for. Being with Stark had made me realize something. I wanted to be with Stark, despite the fact that being with Kalona felt so good, so natural, or at least that's how it felt once in awhile. I realized that perhaps I could feel that way for Kalona all the time after a year or two. But I didn't want to spend that time with Kalona. He was to unpredictable. Stark was safe, and he really loved me.

I now had a new goal for the next six days. I was going to focus on Stark. I was going to make myself stop feeling the things I was starting to feel for Kalona.

As I walked back to the penthouse I let my goal fill me up. I finally felt confident that I would survive the last few days with Kalona.

I didn't realize at the time how wrong I was.


	26. Chapter 26

**A/N In this chapter, after the first Zoey section I am skipping three days. They will be spoken about briefly, but there are only going to be five more chapters. So please read, relax and review!**

**Zoey**

By the time I got back to the penthouse it was just before sunrise and I suddenly got really tired. In an attempt to avoid speaking with Kalona, even though I knew I would have to confront him about the whole Stark issue, I opened the door quietly and tiptoed to my room. To my relief, Kalona wasn't waiting for me in my room. I fell asleep after a few moments of silence.

-/-

It was morning. There was a window in my room that faced the side of the penthouse. I was woken up by the sound of something knocking against my window. I opened my eyes and yawned. Then I got up after stretching my arms over my head. I crawled out of bed and went over to the window, wondering what the hell was going on outside. I opened the window and looked down. To my shock and horror I saw Stark standing there.

"Zoey," he called, smiling up at me. "Come down. Jump. I'll catch you. Then we can escape together. I will keep you safe from Kalona. You don't have to worry about him."

"Stark," I said frantically, praying that Kalona wouldn't wake up and discover Stark. "Get out of here! Kalona will kill you if he finds you."

"I don't care. I would die for you. I just need to get you away from Kalona."

"I'll be free in five days," I said. "Get out of here. I'm not going to let you risk your life for me."

Stark was about to say something, but suddenly, a large shape swooped down from the sky. The being picked up Stark like he was a rag doll. I screamed as I realized that it was Kalona.

Kalona's midnight ebony wings pushed through the air, lifting him up near my window. He hovered there for a moment, with a firm grip on Stark's neck. Stark couldn't even cry out in pain.

A surge of guilt stabbed through by chest. This was my fault. I had done this to Stark. I should have made him leave. I should have said something more convincing. Now he was helplessly trapped in Kalona's iron grip. I could see the life fading away from his beautiful eyes. Kalona had a feral smile on his perfect lips. "Make a choice now, my Zoey," he said with a booming voice. "Choose me and I shall spare the life of your pathetic Guardian. But if you choose Stark, I will kill him and take you by force."

"I can't be with you," I stammered.

Kalona laughed. "Then say goodbye to your precious Guardian." With that Kalona whirled around and threw Stark at least one hindered yards away. He disappeared into the tall trees. I knew that the fall had killed him. I screamed in terror.

Kalona disappeared in a swirl of Darkness. However, seconds later, he reappeared. His muscular arms snaked around me and suddenly I was trapped within the iron circle of his arms. I turned around and he pulled me into his chest. His broad chest smothered my face. It was almost as if he was smothering me with his body. I couldn't scream. I couldn't move. I couldn't do anything at all. I felt as if he was going to crush me.

"You belong to me, Zoey," said Kalona with the same booming voice he used before. "Now it is time to take what I rightfully deserve."

I faded into his darkness, and there was no one there to hear me scream.

-/-

I woke up screaming once again and I instantly regretted it. I knew that Kalona would be back in my room in a few short moments. He was always acting as if he was concerned. All I knew was that I had to hide away this dream from my mind. Suddenly, an idea came to me. I had to act quickly. I pictured my dream. Then I pictured an Iron door. I pictured the heavy door closing and locking away my thoughts. For extra safety I pictured myself locking the door with a heavy, cast iron lock. A moment later Kalona threw open the door to my room and raced to my bedside. There he was, a look of false concern on his gorgeous face.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"Nothing," I replied quickly, hoping that my door would protect my dream and my thoughts in general.

Kalona was staring at me. I could tell that he thought I was lying and that he was trying to read my thoughts. This new mind connection thing was a total pain in the ass. Still, I had another idea. I would try and read his mind.

_A door. Zoey thinks she is so clever, however, she cannot hide her thoughts from me. I will discover this secret. Zoey Redbird is no match for me._

I almost laughed. Kalona was seriously being ridiculous. "So, I'm no match for you," I asked.

Kalona scowled at me. "I told you not to break into my mind."

"Then stop trying to break into mine," I shouted back at him.

"I have a right to know when you are lying to me and what you are hiding from me," he said simply.

"No way. We are not a couple. I don't have to be honest with you. You have never been honest with me, except fro that one time back in Italy." I suddenly remembered the dream I had with Kalona. The one time that he had not tried to control or possess me. He had only taken my hand and showed me the truth of his past. I missed that Kalona, I realized. That Kalona was the guy that I could maybe start to like. But it had been an act. His showing me his past was just another way to manipulate my emotions and my feelings towards him. Then he had killed Heath and my soul had shattered. The real Kalona was someone I never wanted to be with. Or at least he was someone I should never want to be with. However, a small part of me wanted to be with him.

"I don't need to tell you everything," I said again.

"So you would lie to me? You would hide things from me?"

"Yes. I don't need to tell you anything. All I'm obligated to do is stay with you for five more days and then I'm going home to Stark. Then my friends and I are going to figure out a way to deal with Neferet, and if you try and hurt any of my friends, I'll try and find a way to deal with you."

Kalona stared down at me. "Oh, that's how it is? You would run away from what your heart really wants."

"What do you know about what I really want?"

"You and I are connected. You can't deny it, and eventually, even if you leave me, you will realize how much you really need me. You shall realize how much you want to be with me. When you do I shall be waiting for you, and if you take too long to make this realization then I shall come and take you away again. If I have to I will repeat the process over and over again until you agree to be with me."

"You keep thinking that," I said.

As I looked at Kalona, I realized that now was the time to confront him about the whole Stark thing. Kalona would be angry. I already knew this, but I needed to get everything out in the open. "Kalona, why didn't you tell me that Stark was here. Why the hell would you tell him that I belonged to you and that I chose you instead of him? Why did you threaten to kill him?"

Kalona scowled at me. "Get over Stark," he said, "You and I both know that you will choose me in the end. I did what I sis because I will not allow the pathetic Guardian to get in my way. Heath was in my way, and I got rid of him. I will get rid of anyone in my way. I will not lose the reincarnation of my lost love. I will not lose the closest thing to Nyx that will ever exist on this earth."

I was taken aback by the tone of Kalona's voice. He sounded so serious, so determined. It was at that moment that I truly started to believe that Kalona would not stop coming after me until I agreed to be with him. Would being with him be so bad? Why was I fighting against him so much? It was because of his Darkness. I couldn't be with someone like that. He had promised to change, or to let me help him change. But to do that I would have to agree to be with him. I just wasn't ready for that. I didn't know if I would ever be. I couldn't tell if I was flattered by his calling me the closest thing ton Nyx on this earth, or if I was annoyed because he was so determined to possess me. I didn't know what to do. Plus, there was still our Imprint to consider. With Kalona's blood flowing through my veins I was able to read his mind, and he was able to read mine. I had a feeling that this wasn't the only strange thing about our Imprint. But I didn't really want to stick around and find out. I just wanted to get away from Kalona. I knew that I would be able to in five days, but Kalona would never stop coming after me. I would never be safe anywhere, and if I didn't agree to be with him and if I kept fighting him, he would start hurting my friends. My friends and I already had one crazy being determined to kill us all. We didn't need another.

I knew that I would have to do this the right way. I didn't want to create an enemy. It seemed like a lifetime ago when everything about this decision was clear. I was just going to spend a month with Kalona. I wasn't supposed to start having feelings for him again. He wasn't supposed to almost kill me and then save me with his blood. We weren't supposed to Imprint. I was just supposed to survive thirty days with him and then leave and have him out of my life forever. Things had gotten so complicated. Plus there was the fact that I had promised to sleep with him on our last night, which I remembered was only a few nights away.

Oh good goddess, this was terrible. Kalona was ruining my life.

**Stark**

"Stevie Rae," Stark shouted, barging into her room three days after he returned from the penthouse. "We need to talk. Right now."

Stevie Rae was sitting on her bed reading a book. Rephaim was sitting beside her also reading. He immediately stood up and got in front of Stevie Rae protectively.

Stevie Rae stood up and looked at him.

Stark stared angrily back at her. He was so pissed off that he was afraid he might strike at her. He took a few deep breaths and tried to soothe his rage. "We need to talk," he repeated, sounding calmer this time.

"Fine," said Stevie Rae.

Stark and Stevie Rae walked out into the tunnels.

Stark whiled on the good-natured Oakie girl. "How could you do this to me. How could you keep this secret form me? I thought that Zoey was dead, but it just turns out that she was living with Kalona. You knew all the time, and you didn't say anything to anyone. I can understand why Rephaim would do that, but I thought that you were Zoey's best friend. And you are the Red Vampyre High Priestess. I thought you didn't have it in you to lie about something this important."

"Stark," said Stevie Rae quietly, "let me explain."

"There is nothing to explain. What you did was horrible and it is unforgivable."

"No, Stark. Now you are just being unreasonable. I didn't tell anyone where Zoey was because she didn't want me to. I knew that she needed to stay with Kalona for thirty days. She is with Kalona now so he will not harm any of us later. She is doing the right thing. You need to have faith in her."

"I do have faith in her," snapped Stark. "But Kalona might kill her if she doesn't give him what he wants. Kalona is dangerous, and Zoey isn't prepared to face an ancient evil immortal. I should know. I fought him and lost. But I won't lose Zoey. I'm going to tell everyone where Zoey is and what you did. Then we are all going to rescue her from Kalona. That evil ass hole could kill her."

Rephaim came out at that moment. "My father will not kill Zoey. He wants to fall in love with her. He wants to be with her."

"Bullshit," said stark. "Of course you would defend that monster. You were part of the plan. You lead Zoey to this."

"I will not deny that," said Rephaim. "However, I had a good reason for doing so. My father will always be a threat to us all if Zoey does not help him get back to the Goddess' path. He will always be a threat unless my father learns to love her and she learns to love him in return."

"Zoey loves me," said Stark fiercely. "She is not going to pick Kalona over me."

"You never know what Zoey will do. You must let her make the choice. You should have faith in the woman you love. Everyone else does."

This was too much for Stark to hear. Without warning he punched Rephaim, knocking him down on the stone floor.

**Stevie Rae**

Stevie Rae looked horrified as she knelt down beside Rephaim. She stared up at Stark. "How could you do this to him?" she asked, sounding angry, which was unusual for her.

"How could you defend him," said Stark.

"I love him. I love Zoey too. She is my best friend. I trust Rephaim's opinion, and I trust Zoey's judgment. Kalona wants to fall in love with Zoey, and Zoey wants to help Kalona get back to the path of the goddess. Who knows if they will end up together? All I know is that you are letting your jealousy and anger cloud your judgment. It's not good." Stevie Rae paused. She could sense how angry Stark was. "Zoey will be home in a couple of days. Then Kalona will no longer be a threat. You are Zoey's Guardian, so regardless of who she chooses to be with, you should be there for her. I know that even if you tell everyone about what I did and where Zoey is, that if Zoey comes back with Kalona at her side, they will be accepting and supportive. "

"No they wont. The hate Kalona s much as I do."

"I don't think they do. I think they trust Zoey. I think that if Kalona comes back with Zoey they will do everything the can, as will I, to help Zoey get Kalona back on Nyx's path. You, as her Guardian, should believe in her, and stand by her no matter what."

"What do you know about being a Guardian?" Stark shouted.

"I might not know anything about being a Guardian, but I do know something about love and loyalty. Maybe you should try and reevaluate the situation. I'm sure if you calm down and try and see things from our point of view, and from Zoey's, that we are all doing what we think is best."

Stark scowled at Stevie Rae. "You don't know anything. I'm going to get Zoey out of that hell hole tonight."

"No, you aren't going to do that. We can't allow you to risk your life. Kalona will be seriously pissed off if he finds you. He might kill you! Zoey wouldn't want that. None of us want that. Why don't you calm down and try not to do anything stupid."

Stark whiled away and left Stevie Rae and Rephaim alone.

"We have to make sure that Stark doesn't leave the tunnels. This means that we have told everyone else about this. They will help make sure that Stark doesn't go sneaking off to Zoey. Zoey only has forty-eight hours left with Kalona. Two more days. We get to bring Zoey back in two more days."

"I don't think we should tell anyone. I will keep an eye on Stark. You don't have to worry about anything." Rephaim kissed her gently on the lips before and whispered, "I love you," before walking off after Stark.

As Stevie Rae watched him go, she could only hope that deep down, Kalona could get back to the way he was before. She couldn't help but hope that one day Kalona would not be there enemy and that one day, Zoey and Kalona would love each other the way she and Rephaim did. Because she knew that Zoey was starting to develop feelings for him, and now, thanks, to Rephaim, she knew that Kalona wanted to have feelings for Zoey.

Stevie Rae could only hope that everything would turn out tight in the end.


	27. Chapter 27

** Zoey**

Forty-eight hours. There is a light at the end of the tunnel after all. I realize that my time with Kalona is almost coming to an end. The thought is a double-edged sword. For a moment I remember Kramisha's poem. She called Kalona a double-edged sword. One side could destroy and one side could release. I definitely saw the side that could destroy, but I couldn't see the side that would release.

Kalona was definitely capable of destroying. He had destroyed Heath out of jealousy. He had destroyed Stark in the Otherworld only to be forced by Nyx to bring him back and he had tried to destroy me.

_I wasn't trying to destroy you._

I rolled my eyes. Kalona was upstairs, yet he had broken into my thoughts. Well, I wasn't going to try and respond and I hadn't bothered with the door, because it didn't matter. At the moment I was not harboring any deep dark secret. I was just annoyed. I was annoyed with this whole situation. I wanted to get Kalona out of my life. I didn't want to have . . . no. I stopped mid thought. I knew Kalona was listening in on my musings, but there were certain things that I didn't want him to hear. There were certain things that I wanted to lock away behind the iron door and never think about again. These were the things that had haunted my dreams the last few nights. These were the things I was trying to hide from. These were the thoughts I was trying to get rid of, not only because I didn't want Kalona to learn about them, but because I never wanted to have them in the first place.

_Zoey, come upstairs. I want to see you._

I sighed. It was so annoying that Kalona no longer had to come get me in order to bring me upstairs. Now he just had to enter my mind and speak to me. It was that simple. I hated knowing that my mind was more or less an open book to Kalona. Yet, he got seriously angry if I tried to read his mind. It was downright infuriating.

_No._

I was not going to go up to his room, because tonight was our last night together and according to my promise, I had to sleep with him, and let's face it, I so did not want to do it in my room. Even if this room wasn't really mine. It was more of a guest room.

_Fine. I'll come to you. And Zoey, it is your room. This place belongs to you as much as it belongs to me._

I didn't even bother to shoot back a mental reply because a moment later Kalona was in my room.

"I told you that I didn't want to see you."

For the past three days I had been avoiding Kalona. Or at least I had been avoiding him physically. However, I could not escape him mentally.

"I know," said Kalona, his voice was dark and cold. "But I do as I please, and it pleases me to see you. Do not deny that you have missed me the last couple of days."

"You are so funny," I said sarcastically. "I'm just looking forward to getting out of this hell hole."

Kalona rolled his eyes. He was as annoyed as I was, but perhaps he was even more than that. Perhaps he was angry. However, I didn't break into his mind to find out. Anyway, the winged immortal came over to me and sat down on my bed. He was only inches away from me. For once he didn't sweep me into his arms. Quite frankly it was rather refreshing. ?You won't be saying that after tonight. I shall make tonight the best night of your young life."

I cocked my head to the side and smiled slightly, trying to keep myself from laughing. "Oh yeah?" I asked. "I don't think I believe you, because the night after tonight will be the best night of my life because I will be back home with my best friends, the love of my life, and your son."

"Stark isn't the love of your life, and he never will be. That position is reserved for me alone. I shall claim my rightful place in your heart, my Zoey. Tonight is just the beginning."

"Whatever helps you sleep at night Kalona," was all I managed to reply.

Kalona's voice was dark and seductive when he spoke next. "I already know what will help me sleep at night. Having you by my side is all I need."

I scowled at Kalona. He was trying to turn on the charm. He was trying to seduce me like he had done so many times before. Well it wasn't going to work. I knew that Kalona wasn't really this nice. It was all an act, even if it was an act worth of a Tony Award.

Kalona laughed as he easily read my mind. It was extremely rude of him, I thought, hoping that he would hear me.

He did. But he smiled anyway. "Oh Zoey, don't you ever get tired of fighting with me?"

"No," I said.

He quickly changed the subject. "I want to tell you a secret," he said. "Something that no one know about me. Well, no one except for Nyx."

"I don't want to know your secrets," I snapped.

He grinned at me. "You will want to know this one, my little Zoey."

"Stop calling me that. It's so condescending, and I still don't want to know this secret, so don't even bother telling me."

Kalona put one of his arms around me. I quickly shrugged it off. He looked offended, but I guess he got over it, because he was staring intently at me with those gorgeous amber eyes of his. "Before I fell, Nyx told me something. She told me that centuries would pass before I found a woman I would spend the rest of my immortal life with. Then she said that when I did find her I would have to do something drastic for her. Finally she told me that if I followed her path that when I met the woman I was destined for, that the woman would belong to me forever. It was her gift, her blessing. It was something that she hope would keep me on her path. For a while it did, until I gave up on her. I thought that I had met that woman when I found A-ya, but then I realized how wrong I was when Neferet freed me from my earthly prison. I realized that Nyx meant you the moment I saw you."

What the hell was this all about. Was this a lie that Kalona had come up with just to manipulate me? Or was it the truth It was impossible to tell. "Oh Kalona," I said, "what a load of poopie." I said this and I didn't even realize that I had reverted back to my substitute swear word.

Kalona's laughter was deep and dark, like rumbling thunder. "Oh Zoey, I do look forward to spending th rest of my immortal life with you. You are rather amusing."

I laughed dismissively. "You and me together for the rest of your immortal life? Keep dreaming. Anyway, I'm not an immortal, so even if I did agree to be with you, it would only be for a couple centuries, if that. But its not going to happen."

"It is going to happen," he insisted. "One day you will see that. Besides, there are ways around mortality."

"You are ridiculous," I said.

"And you," he said, "are the woman I shall spend the rest of my life with. I don't care what you say."

"I have a say in this," I said, "it's my life and you are going to be out of it tomorrow night."

"Well, tonight you shall be with me, and it will be the best night of your life. There is no use denying it."

"Whatever. You are such a cocky ass hole."

"I see that I am going to have to prove you wrong. You shouldn't be so quick to judge me, Zoey. You barely know me."

"I know you're a liar whose heart is consumed by Darkness, so what's the point in getting to know you?"

"You could learn to love me," he said, "and you shall." Then Kalona swept me into his arms, "Perhaps I shall give you a preview of what you will get tonight."

"You don't need to," I said.

Kalona's arms tightened around me. His lips were against mine as he said, "I know, " his voice was dark and husky, "but I want to," The kiss was gentle and wonderful. A wave of passion crashed over my heart. Kalona was on top of me. I threw my arms around his neck and his arms tightened around me. His wings covered us like a shroud. My heart started to pound in my chest. My blood and adrenaline were rushing through my veins. A sudden thrill coursed through my body. I pressed myself against him. His skin was hot against mine. He kissed my lips, then he moved known to my neck. His hot breath caressed my skin. Then he kissed my chest, and then my mid section, and then my stomach. Then he moved back up my body. His lips found mine again. My fingers wound up in his thick dark hair. He did the same. I heard a strange sound. A moan. Was it Kalona, or was it me? It didn't matter.

After a moment Kalona pushed himself off of me. I looked up at him and despite myself I smiled.

He returned my smile with a dazzling one of his own. "Now you are looking forward to tonight aren't you, my Zoey?"

"I'm not your Zoey," I managed to say.

"Maybe not now, but you will be after tonight."

"Why are you always so confident?"

"Because, no woman has ever denied me, save for Nyx, and she is an all-powerful goddess. There is no hope for a mortal woman, even if you are the closest thing on earth to the goddess."

"There's a first time for everything."

"Not for this," he said smoothly. "I want you to be ready for me at 6 a.m. "

"What do you have planned," I asked.

"It's a surprise, but I swear to you that you will love it. Wear something nice. There is a black strapless dress hanging in your closet. Wear that."

"You can't tell me what to wear," I said.

"I think I have the right to choose what I get to rip off of you."

"You are so ridiculous," was all I could say. I tried not to think of the fact that tonight Kalona would be taking whatever I was wearing off of me. Or maybe he would be a gentleman and let me take it off myself. However, I doubted that would happen.

"Well, then I shall see you tonight," he said. Then he kissed me deeply before leaving my room.

"Bye," I called softly.

I stood up and walked over to the closet. After a moment or two I found the black strapless dress that Kalona was talking about. It was a nice dress, but it seemed more like a shirt because it was so short. The dress was trimmed with black lace and the top of the dress was similar to a corset with red ribbon on the pack so it could be tightened. I removed the dress from the closet and laid it out on my bed. Then I looked over at the clock. I had a few hours until Kalona wanted me ready. It was midnight. I went over to the dresser and opened to the top drawer. I took out a strapless bra and matching underwear. Oddly enough, they were from Victoria's Secret and they matched the dress. I didn't even want to know how Kalona picked these out. It's not as if I could picture him walking around Utica Square. He was an ancient winged immortal for goddess sake. Yet, Kalona had somehow mentioned to keep the penthouse full stocked with everything I needed or wanted, from shampoo and soap, to food, and finally down to clothes, including the lingerie.

I thought of what might lay in store for me tonight. Kalona would probably try to dazzle me into falling in love with him. He probably was going to treat me better than he ever had. Well I wouldn't fall for it. I wasn't going to stay with Kalona any longer than I needed to. I loved Stark and one night with Kalona wasn't going to change that.

**Kalona**

Kalona sat upstairs on his bed. His thoughts were on Zoey. He had to make tonight count. He knew Zoey's thoughts. He knew that she was hiding things from him, and it was pissing him off. One day she would open up to him. One day she would tell him everything.

Kalona wondered what would happen tomorrow night. Would Zoey truly leave him? He couldn't imagine it. He didn't want Zoey to leave him. He wanted her to stay with him. This night was his last chance to make Zoey want to be with him.

The night would be simply wonderful. Zoey would look breathtaking as usual. They would sit and watch the sunrise. He would give her wine laced with blood from his own body. That would make her want him. That would awaken the full-grown vampyre within her.

Then he would take her in his arms and whisper sweet and insincere nothings in her ear. She would warm up to him. Then he would kiss her, slowly and gently at first. He would give her a taste of the gentleness she claimed to appreciate, but then he would give her what she really wanted.

After wonderful moments of shared passions, he would hold her in his arms and they would talk to one another. He would somehow convince her to stay with him, and she would agree to be his. Even though, she already belonged to him because of their Imprint. Deep down, Kalona knew that he belonged to her as well, but only by blood. He was not in love with her. He wasn't sure if he could ever fall in love with her, but he wanted to spend the rest of his immortal life with her. Wasn't that enough? Apparently not enough for Zoey, Kalona thought bitterly.

Kalona wanted Zoey more than anything he had ever wanted, well besides Nyx, but Nyx would never be with him. He would settle for Zoey. Perhaps settling was the wrong word for it. Zoey was the woman who was meant for him. Even though Zoey hadn't believed him, Nyx really had promised him that he would find the woman he was meant to spend the rest of his life with. However, Kalona couldn't help but wonder if she was the one?

Kalona closed his eyes and thought of the question in his head. He waited for a moment.

_My beloved daughter is indeed the woman I promised you. But my daughter has free will. You must earn her love, just as you must earn my forgiveness. I predict that it shall be a long and difficult journey. My fallen Warrior, there is always hope._

Kalona knew it. Zoey was the woman that was meant for him. They were connected by destiny. He knew he would do whatever he could to make her fall in love with him.


	28. Chapter 28

**Zoey**

It was 5 o'clock. I had to be ready in an hour. Honestly I was starting to freak out. I didn't want to fall in love with Kalona and I was worried that a full night of him turning on the charm would make me want to stay with him. I didn't want to get tangled in Kalona's web of lies and his charming façade.

I took the dress that Kalona wanted me to wear from by bed and pulled it over my head. It was still slightly damp from my shower and I was careful not to get the dress wet. I was alarmed by how short the dress was, but it was really flattering and it looked expensive. I went over to the dresser and opened the top drawer. I took a pair of thick black tights and slipped them on. Then I took a pair of black heels and slipped them on as well.

After that I snuck over to the bathroom and blew out and brushed my hair until it hung down my back like a shining ebony waterfall. I put on some makeup, but come to think of it I wasn't sure why I was trying so hard to look good. I didn't care about what Kalona thought of me. I didn't need to look good for him. But I really couldn't help it. I guess it was the girly girl in me.

When I was ready, nearly forty-five minutes later, I went back to my room. I checked the clock. The best night of my life, supposedly and according to Kalona, would start in fifteen minutes. I had to wonder what it would be like. Well, I guess I would find out.

Thinking about my date night with Kalona made me think of Stark. I had lied to him and told him that I didn't have any feelings for Kalona. I had feelings, I just wasn't quite sure that they were. Also, I had promised him that I would never pick Kalona over him, which is slightly ridiculous. Its really not a competition, and really, I might not to be with either of them in the long run. Although I must confess that the thought about not being with Kalona in the future was terrifying in some way. I knew Kalona wouldn't stop coming after me, and I knew I had some kind of feelings for him. However, that didn't change the fact that I loved Stark

Anyway, I sat there feeling guilty and waiting for Kalona and for our date night to start. I had a strange feeling that somehow, tonight, might not be as bad as I thought it would be.

-/-

There was a knock on my door. I stood up and answered it. Kalona stood in front of me looking absolutely gorgeous. He was wearing tight black jeans that hugged his figure perfectly. His thick, shaggy, midnight ebony hair brushed his shoulders. His legs were full and curved with a slight smile. His amber eyes glistened. I couldn't help but look at his chest, which was perfect in every way, because I only came up to his shoulders and he was almost seven feet tall.

He smiled down at me. "You look beautiful, my little Zoey. Get ready for the best night of your life." He held out his hand for mine.

I smiled and took it. "What makes you think it's going to be the best night of my life?"

"Because," he said, in his smooth, dark voice, "I promised you the best night of your life and I always deliver."

"Well, I must confess that I have pretty high standards and expectations."

"They can't be that high," he said, "you are in love with Stark, and before that it was your pathetic little mortal, and that foolish vampyre, and Neferet's tool."

I scowled at him. It was annoying that Kalona knew about each of the guys I had been involved with. Not only that, but it was disturbing that he had killed one of them and that he had been involved with a woman who killed another. Not that I really cared about Loren Blake anyway. Still, it was rather disturbing. I tried to ignore Kalona's comment though. So I changed the subject. "So what does the best night of my life involve?"

"That's for me to know and you to find out. But you will love it,]. In fact, you shall love it so much that you will not want to leave me. Soon you shall realize what you could have, and you won't want to give it up."

"Whatever helps you sleep at night," I said, totally annoyed with his cockiness.

"We won't be doing much sleeping tonight, my dear little Zoey."

"You're an asshole," I said, "I can't believe you are going to make me do this."

"A promise," he said, "is a promised. Besides, if you are so intent on leaving me, you must give me a parting gift."

"I hardly consider sleeping with you to be a gift," I said,.

"It is," he assured me, "actually it's a blessing. For you anyway."

"Cockiness is not a turn on," I said, rolling my eyes.

"Maybe not, but after centuries of experience, I know how to treat a woman in that department. I assure you that you will be more than satisfied."

Well, that was awkward. What did Kalona know about my needs in that department. Hell, I hardly knew them. I mean I had only done it twice and the first time had been the worst mistake of my life. "I'll believe it if it actually happens."

"It will," he promised. He squeezed my hand in his, "Come on. We're going upstairs."

"We're going to do it first?"

"Don't be silly," his laughter was a dark and beautiful melody, "that's going to be the grand finale."

Kalona dragged me up the stairs. We walked through her room and went out to the rooftop.

When we stepped outside I couldn't believe my eyes. The sky was still dark. The sun would rise soon. There was a table draped with a black silk An elegant candelabra was placed in the center. White candles were lit, which was strangers seeing as the sun would probably rise within the hour. The table was set for two. Kalona smiled down at me and then pulled me over to the table. He pulled out my chair. It was such an unusual gesture. It took me by surprise. Then Kalona said, "Wait here."

Kalona disappeared inside the penthouse. A moment later he came back out pushing a silver trolley cart loaded with a couple trays of food. I have no idea how he did it, but somehow me managed to get all of my favorites.

However, I hardly noticed the food. I ate it, but I really didn't pay attention to what I was eating. Kalona's behavior was so out of character that it was shocking. He was beeing a gentleman, but not only that, he was being kind and considerate.

We couldn't really find much to talk about. Mostly we ate, talked a little bit here and there and then we kind of just stared at each other. Kalona didn't really know all the rules of dating 101, but a strange thought popped into my head as I stared at those gorgeous amber eyes of his. Maybe after awhile he could get better at it. Despite his lack of dating expertise, what he did know, he did extremely well. When we finished eating he pushed away the table and we moved the chairs together to watch the sunrise. His enormous black wings draped around the chairs. His feathers tickled my bare back and gave me a pleasant sensation. Then, without hesitation, he put his arm around me and pulled me in closer. "What are your thoughts about tonight so far?" he whispered.

"I'm not very impressed," I lied.

He looked slightly annoyed with my answer, but then his expression changed. Then I shall have to change your opinion. Look," he said, "the sun is rising." We switched our attention from each other to the sky, which was streaked with, red, pink, orange and yellow. Fifteen minutes. The sunrise was gorgeous. I realized how long it had been since I had seen one, seeing that a vampyre's nights and days are switched.

Kalona suddenly cupped my face with his hand. He leaned in and kissed me gently on the lips. We moved closer together and in the light of the rising sun we started making out. I threw my arms around his neck and he put his arms around me. I was pressed against him and I inhaled his scent: pine needles, sweat, and something that I couldn't identify. His scent filled my lungs and I could feel my heart start to pound. The adrenaline was rushing through my body. A sensation of passion, desire, and something else flowed with it. I didn't like hit that much, but I didn't hate it. I let it fill me up.

After a few minutes he ended our make out session and asked, "Ready?"

The question caught me off guard, but I nodded as I looked into his amber eyes. Kalona smiled and stood up. Then he swept me in his arms. He carried me into the penthouse and then set me down on his bed.

As he did this all I could think about was the fact that this was the time. The moment was coming and I wasn't sure if I was ready. Actually, I was scared out of my mind.

Kalona set down on the bed next to me and put his arms around me again. Pretty soon I was lying on the bed and he was on top of me. His enormous black wings covered us. He started out gently and kissed my forehead. Then he moved down to my cheek, my lips, my neck, my chest,

"Zoey," he said, his voice dark and husky. I could hear the lust in his voice.

"Yes?" I asked.

"Get ready for the best moment of your life."

From then it felt like everything was going in slow motion. Kalona's hand went under my dress as he took it and started to peel it off. I raised my arms above my head and shivered as I felt the soft fabric brush against my skin. Kalona flung the dress on the floor.

His skin was warm against mine. He kissed my chest, my neck, and my lips. Then he removed my tights and I was left in nothing but my bra and panties. He smiled down on me as he removed the only article of clothing that he was wearing. Soon we were both wearing nothing. The only thing covering us were his massive ebony wings.

Kalona kissed me deeply.

It was going to happen soon. I wasn't ready for this. There was so much of Kalona. I felt as if he would consume me. Suddenly, with courage and strength I didn't even know I had I pushed Kalona off of me.

Kalona scowled down at me. "What are you doing?" he asked. "You said you were ready. Besides, you made me a promise."'

"I can't do it," I said. I suddenly took my lingerie and put it back on. Kalona groaned and put his jeans back on.

I didn't even bother with my dress. I stood up and picked up my dress and my tights. "I can't do this. It doesn't feel right."

"How can you say that?" he asked. "I have been nothing but wonderful tonight."

"Yes," I agreed. "You were wonderful tonight, but you have hurt me so much. You tried to kill me twice. You killed Heath. You threatened Stark. I don't know that I can ever be with you. You have done so much to hurt me."

"Zoey," he said, pulling me into his arms. Again, I noticed that his skin was like fire against mine. "You promised me. I shall take what I deserve, even if I need to use force. But, I offer you this, a few minutes to prepare yourself. You are meant to be mine and it is time that you deliver what you promised." He was so forceful that it was hard to believe. He held me in his arms. Suddenly, his lips crashed against mine.

A jolt of adrenaline rushed through my body. It awakened something deep within my soul and oddly enough it seemed to awaken something deep inside my heart. Then I suddenly heard Kalona's thoughts in my head.

_Oh dear goddess. Nyx, I want your daughter to be mine. You said that she was the maiden you promised for me. Yet she continues to fight against me. Why can't I make her mine?_

I pulled away from him. "You can't make me yours," I said. "You can't force me into these things. I have to choose you."

"I told you not to break into my thoughts."

"I can't do this," I said. "It feels so wrong."

"I am going to get what I want," Kalona snarled. "What I want is you. You can't fight against me forever and if you don't give yourself to me tonight then I shall keep you here until you keep your promise."

"You can't do that."

"I am an all-powerful immortal. I can do whatever I please. Why are you fighting against me? I know that you love me. Or at least part of your spirit. I know that you can learn to love me. It is inevitable. Why don't you just give into the temptation."

"I'm not tempted," I lied.

"You have been tempted ever since we first met. I know this. You and I are destined to be together. The Goddess herself promised you to me. You are my match in every way. We just don't know each other yet."

"And you think sex will help us get to know each other?"

"No," he said, "But it will allow you to warm up to me. It will make you start to realize what I have known all along."

"What about changing for me? You promised you would do that. Yet you have made no efforts whatsoever."

"I can't change," he said, "at least not until you choose me once and for all. I have to know that you have accepted your destiny. The destiny that you belong to me and that we will be together for all of eternity."

"I'm not even 18," I said. "I'm not going to agree to be with someone that I don't even really like. And I'm definitely not going to agree to be with somebody for eternity. That's ridiculous."

"Then I cannot change for you. I cannot change unless you give yourself to me. I will not change unless I know that it s worth it.. Let's leave it at that. Now will you give yourself to me willingly or will I have to force you? I am fine with either one as long as I get what I want."

"What do you want?" I screamed. "I don't even understand why you would ever want me. I'm just an ordinary girl who was randomly Marked and Chosen by the goddess. I haven't even made the change."

"Zoey," said Kalona, "I can't really explain why I want you so much. All I know is that I really want you. You are the only one who can bring me back to the path of the Goddess. I know I can get back to that path with you on my side. Not to mention, you are the most beautiful young woman on this Earth. I need you to be mine."

"You're not helping yourself out."

"I see you are not going to choose me," he said, "so I am going to have to take you by force. We don't have much time left together before you will choose to leave me." Kalona shook his head sadly and threw me on the bed..

He was on top of me in moments. He ripped off my lingerie and then he peeled off his jeans. He kissed me deeply and his hands were suddenly caressing my breasts. He was rather aggressive. His hands moved up and down my body, trying to find the best place to hold me tightly so I couldn't escape him. He was the hunter and I was his prey. I was helpless and trapped and I couldn't even scream because his lifts smothered my own. "Why are you doing this?" I asked against his lips.

He didn't reply, but he continued to kiss me fiercely. His hands cupped my hips firmly. I couldn't move. He kissed my neck and then my bare chest. He lifted me up and pressed me against the oak headboard of the bed. One hand moved to my hands and he forced my arms above my head. He held my wrists tightly in his hand. I recognized the motion from the night when Stark was hurting me. This was strangely familiar. Kalona was rough and almost violent. I suddenly realized something. Stark had part of Kalona's spirit in his body. Kalona had controlled Stark on the night that I discovered my mother was dead. Kalona had somehow forced Stark to hurt me while we were trying to get intimate.

"Kalona, stop," I said.

"No," he replied fiercely.

"You're hurting me," I cried.

"So what," he said, "You deserve it. You have done nothing but fight against me this whole time. You should be giving yourself to me willingly right now. I save your life twice. We are Imprinted. You should be doing everything you can to please me. Yet here you are being a fool. So no. I don't care if I'm hurting you. Embrace the pain."

"You can't get what you want like this," I said.

"Is that a challenge?"

"Kalona, stop it, please. I can't do this. I don't love you. In fact, I think I hate you."

"That's a lie," he shouted, sounding like an angry, ferocious beast.

It was a bizarre scene. Kalona was clinging to me. I was shaking with anger and I didn't have the strength to force Kalona away. We were naked.

"Stop fighting me," he ordered.

"No," I cried. "I will never stop fighting you. I love Stark."

The blow was unexpected. My nose started bleeding. When that happened the scent of my blood filled the air. I immediately saw a change in Kalona. His gorgeous eyes glistened with an uncontrollable desire. Bloodlust.

Kalona's lips were against mine in an instant. He forced me down onto the bed. He held me in his arms tightly. I did all I could do in a crisis. I raked my fingernails into his skin.

Kalona barely noticed my attack, but at that moment I realized that I shouldn't have attacked him. Blood was on my hands now. Kalona released me and sat up looking down at me. A sheet covered his lower body and I was suddenly relieved. But now I was lying there, exposed and unprotected. His blood was on my hands.

The scent hit me. It was the wildest and most exotic scent I had ever encountered in my life. Suddenly my heart was pounding so hard that I though it might just beat out of my chest. The blood was calling to me. I had never experienced a bloodlust this strong. It was as if I needed Kalona's blood to survive, even if it was just a tiny little bit.

I looked at Kalona's chest. The small wound was almost healed.

"Taste it, Zoey. I know you want to. I can see it in your eyes. I can feel it in your heart. I can hear it in your mind. Give into the bloodlust and take what rightfully belongs to you. Then give yourself to me as you were always ,meant to do. If you do that I will release you and you shall be free of me if you wish. But I warn you. You shall only be free of me for a short time before I come back for you.'

"I don't want you," I said.

"Yes you do," he said. "Now give into the temptation and be mine." He forced my hand to my lips. I tasted his blood. My heart sang. The reaction was instantaneous.

Drinking blood is like sex for vampyres. Tasting Kalona's blood made me realize the dark and forbidden secret that had been growing in my heart. I was starting to have real feelings for Kalona. Now that I had tasted his blood I knew there was no turning back. Yes I had tasted his blood before, but that had been when I was close to death. Now it was a whole new experience, I knew now that those developing feelings would never go away. In fact that would probably grow even stronger. This wasn't right. I didn't even care if Kalona could read my thoughts. All I knew was that tomorrow I would be free of Kalona. I would do my best to keep him away from me. I would do whatever I could to keep those I loved safe from harm.

However, for tonight, I knew that I needed to be with Kalona this one time, just so I could know how it felt. I wanted to know what I was giving up. I wanted to make sure that the trade off was worth it. Stark for Kalona. I knew I would always find a way to keep my friends safe, whether I ended up with Kalona or not, because Kalona didn't want to hurt my friends. Stark would be the target if I didn't choose Kalona. I knew this and I was full accepting that fact. I intended to run away fro Kalona and be with Stark and try to bury the feelings I had for Kalona.

However, for just one night, now that I had tasted his blood, I needed to sleep with him. I needed to know what if felt like to be with him.

What happened next was one of the strangest and best moments of my life, as much as it hurts me to admit it. I knew as soon as I agreed to be with Kalona that I could never tell Stark. The information would destroy him.

"I'll do it," I said breathlessly.

"You will?" he asked.

"Yes," I said.

"I knew it," he cried triumphantly.

Then he kissed me deeply. After a few long glorious moments our arms wrapped around each other. Kalona kissed me deeply and I kissed him back. We pressed ourselves against one another and our bodies became one.

-/-

I woke up the next morning and I was relieved to discover that I had put my lingerie back on. I rolled over and looked over at Kalona and I was even more relieved that Kalona was wearing boxers.

I smiled before I let the guilt sink in. I had slept with Kalona, and truly, as he promised, it was one of the best nights of my life. I was kind of sad to know that it would only happen once.

I sat there for a moment, in bed next to Kalona. I couldn't believe that I had slept with three different guys, well one was a man, one was a guy and one was an immortal. I wasn't even 18 for goddess sake, but I knew plenty of girls younger than me or my age who had done it way more than I had.

Anyway, Kalona woke up a few minutes after I did, He took me in his arms and held me for a long time. He finally asked, "Did I deliver?"

"Yes," I said.

"I told you I would. Now will you stay with me?"

"No," I said. "When Rephaim and Stevie Rae come I will be leaving with them."

"That's unfortunate, my dear Zoey. I see that you need time to think about our future together. I suppose that is fine, but I will always come back for you."

"Always?" I asked.

"Always," he promised. "Well, we have a few more hours together. I say that we make the most of it." He kissed me deeply,

I pushed him away. "No," I said firmly. "I need to pack. Wait, can I do that?"

"Everything in this house was meant for you, Take whatever you wish."

"Thanks," I said quickly. Then I got out of bed and scooped up my clothes. I could feel Kalona's eyes on me as I left his room, dressed only in lingerie from Victoria's Secret.


	29. Chapter 29

**A/N: Two Chapters left! Enjoy and please review! Happy reading.**

**Kalona**

Kalona watched Zoey walk out of his bedroom. Soon, she would leave him. The thought was practically unbearable. The previous night had been wonderful, despite the fact that he and Zoey had fought. Kalona knew that he would get Zoey to be with him eventually, but they had serious issues. She would not agree to be with him unless he changed, and Kalona would not try and change unless Zoey agreed to be with him. So here they were. Last night he had finally gotten what he wanted from Zoey, and he knew that she had enjoyed it immensely, as did he, but it wasn't enough to make her stay.

Kalona tried not to think about her leaving him. But he kept thinking about it. She was packing at this very moment. Kalona didn't want to let her go. Yet, he was allowing her to pack up her things in preparation for their separation. He had never been left by a woman before. Now it looked as if it was going to happen. Kalona's blood boiled. The thought of Zoey running off to be with Stark was unbearable.

Kalona truly didn't know what to do. He could stop Zoey from leaving by force, but that would only piss her off. The sex hadn't worked, which had come as a big surprise to him. All women loved him. Or they had loved him at one point. Again, Zoey seemed to be the exception to the rule. Kalona was so pissed off now it was more than he could bear.

Kalona stood up and went downstairs. Why did he care so much? He didn't love Zoey, and he wasn't sure if he could ever love her. However, Zoey was the woman that Nyx promised him. He was meant to be with her, but why wasn't she falling in love with him. They had had a strong connection ever since they had locked eyes with each other. He knew that she felt something for him and Kalona suspected that eventually, Zoey might awaken something in him. Something that only one woman had ever awakened within his hear. That woman was Nyx. Zoey Redbird was not the Goddess, but she was the closest thing to her and she was Nyx's favorite daughter. Besides that, she was the woman that Nyx had promised him. Nyx had told him centuries ago that he would one day find a woman that he could spend the rest of his immortal life with. Of course she had said that winning her love might be the hardest thing he would ever have to do in his life, but if he succeeded, it would be worth it.

Yet Kalona wasn't really motivated to work so hard. He had never had to work hard for something he wanted. But now it looked as if he would need to.

When he walked into Zoey's room she had thrown a bunch of the things he had given her in a suitcase. It was zipped up and flung carelessly on the bed. Zoey was sitting on her bed looking down at the floor.

Kalona walked over to her and sat next to her. She didn't look up at him, but she sensed his presence. "What do you want?" she asked, sounding annoyed.

"You know what I want," he said. "I want you to stay here with me. I want you to be with me."

"I'm leaving tonight, Kalona. You can't stop me."

"So you are just going to run away from me?"

"I'm not running away. I just don't want to be with you. I don't think that I can learn to love you. I am in love with Stark, and no matter what you say and what you do, that will never change."

"I can't do anything to change your mind," he asked. He took her hands in his. Then he kissed her gently on the lips. Kalona could feel the tension in her body. She was still fighting against him and it was totally irritating.

"No," she said. "I don't want to spend the rest of my life with you."

"We would take it day by day," he said.

"I don't want to take it day by day. I don't want to be with you. When will you get it through your head."

"I could make you so happy," he said.

"I don't believe you. You are totally unwilling to change for me. I can't be happy with an ancient evil immortal."

"So you would be happy with an ancient immortal that serves Nyx?"

"Maybe" I said, "I don't know. I could be."

"Zoey," he said, "stay here with me."

"I'm not going to," she said.

"You are a fool," he replied.

"You are an ass hole," she shot back. "Living with you has been hell."

"What about last night," he demanded.

"Last night was wonderful, I will admit, but you only act wonderful when you want something from me. You are a bad guy Kalona. You are an ass hole. You don't serve Nyx anymore. You stand against everything I believe in."

"it doesn't have to be that way," he said.

"Well it is that way and I can't be with you. Now leave me alone. Rephaim and Stevie Rae will be here soon to take me back."

"I'm not going to leave you alone now. We don't have much time left together. I could force you to stay here with me, but I shall not do that. You kept your promise and my promise still stands. I will always come for you and one day you will agree to be with me. But I will stay with you until it is time for you to leave, We are Imprinted after all and our separation could be hard on both of us."

"Neither of us really no how this Imprint is different from other Imprints. Who knows, maybe the separation will break the Imprint. Then we will both be happier."

"I won't," said Kalona.

**Zoey**

I was relieved when the doorbell rang. I stood up and grabbed my enormous suitcase. "Well, I guess that it's time for me to go." I started to walk out of my room but then Kalona stood up and pulled me into his arms. His kiss was amazing, but it was not just a kiss. It was an order, a question, and something else.

He wanted me to stay with him. He wanted to keep me here by force, but by some miracle he wasn't doing what he wanted. He was asking me if I could ever love him. He was asking me if there was ever a chance of us being together. I didn't really know the answer to these questions. I was starting to develop feelings for Kalona. Perhaps they had been there all along but now they were starting to develop into something significant. Maybe there was a chance for us to be together, in a year or two, or longer. It just depended on when he was willing to change. The something else was a little harder. Sincerity? I wasn't sure. It was hard to identify.

After a moment I pushed him away. I turned away and headed towards the front doo. I heard Kalona follow me.

Then I opened the door and I was so surprised by who was there, I screamed.

"Zoey," said Stark, "come on. Let's get out of here!"

"What are you doing here? Stevie Rae and Rephaim were supposed to come."

"They are," he said quickly, "but I wanted to be the one to come and get you. They don't know that I snuck out. Rephaim has been keeping a very close eye on me ever since they found out that I knew you were here. But I finally managed to sneak out."

"Get out of here, Kalona will be pissed if he sees you here."

"It's too late for that." I heard Kalona's voice behind me. I could hear the incredible fury. _Don't do anything that will make me hate you, Kalona. _I thought this frantically as I whirled around and prayed that he heard me.

_Get out of my way, Zoey. He wasn't supposed to be here. Now I shall give him what he deserves. _

I stepped up to Kalona in an effort to keep him away from Stark. I knew the attempt was pathetic at best. I put my hand on Kalona's chest. "Please," I said, "don't do this."

"I will do what I must to keep what should rightfully be mine."

"I was going to leave anyway," I said. "You can't take out your anger out on Stark. Please, I'll make him leave. Rephaim and Stevie Rae are on their way."

"Get out of my way, Zoey."

"No," I said firmly. "I won't let you hurt him."

Kalona seized my arms and he was about to fling me aside. Stark cried, "Get off of her, you creep!" Stark ran up to us and tried to get Kalona off of me. His attempt, too, was at best, pathetic. Not only that, but it just pissed Kalona off more. He flung me aside and I hit the ground hard.

Kalona seized Stark by the neck with godlike strength, just like he did to Darius, and started to choke him. Talk about déjà vu. "Fire and Wind," I called, summoning the elements my first time since I started living with Kalona, "please come to me. Don't let Kalona hurt Stark." MY palms were facing Kalona and Stark. A blast of hot wind exploded from my palms and shot towards Kalona. My attack threw him off guard. He dropped Stark and I ran over to him. His chest was moving up and down rapidly. I flung myself over his defenseless body, shielding him from the furious immortal. "Don't hurt him," I begged. "Don't be a monster."

Kalona scowled down at me. "Stop defending him."

"I love him and if you hurt him then I'll hurt you."

"I have already beaten Stark in battle and I can beat you as well. I just won't kill you. Now get out of my way."

"No," I said.

"Zoey, don't make me hurt you." Kalona sounded strange. He really didn't want to hurt me, but he was also way too determined to hurt Stark. I had to stop him. I stood up and went over to him. I took his hands in mine and stood on my tiptoes and kissed him. This was no easy feat since he was so freaking tall. Kalona's anger jolted through my body and I realized how much danger Stark was in. He had to get out of here. Kalona's arms snaked around me. He pulled me into hid broad chest. I couldn't help it. I swooned. Kalona's grip tightened on me as he deepened our kiss. Slowly, I felt his anger draining away. It was as if he was thinking that I was choosing him over Stark. However, I wasn't. I just wanted Stark to stay alive, because if Kalona killed Stark this time, there would be no way to bring him back.

Kalona and I broke our kiss. "Step aside," he said.

"No, I can't let you hurt him. I'll make him leave, but don't hurt him."

"Zoey," he warned, "step aside."

"No. I'll fight you. I swear I will."

"Then bring it on," he said, "I think you are a fool to challenge me, but I will humor you. Afterwards, we can kiss and make up."

I broke away from him and called all the elements to me. They filled me with energy. I didn't want to fight Kalona. I didn't want to hurt anyone, even though I wasn't even sure if I could hurt Kalona. "Air, Fire, Water, Earth, Spirit," I cried. "Help me to protect Stark. Shield him from danger. In the name of the Goddess please help him realize that he needs to get out of here." I felt the elements leave my body and they went for Stark. I knew that the Goddess was watching over me. The sacred elements were creating a shelled for Stark. It would keep Kalona from harming him in any way.

Kalona looked at me and laughed. "How clever. You are too cowardly to hurt me. Or is it that you know you can't defeat me? That is wise, my Zoey. Now come here. It is time for us to stop our fighting. This nonsense must come to an end. Tell your pathetic Guardian to leave us now and we shall spend the rest of our time alone together in peace."

I ran over to Stark. "Stark," I said frantically, "you must get out of here. I will see you in a few hours. Then we can talk about everything that happened and move on with out lives."

"I'm not leaving here without you," said Stark. "I'm going to protect you. I love you Zoey, and I have missed you so much. I'm not leaving without you."

"You have to. In a few hours this will all be over." I suddenly leaned in and kissed Stark. When it ended I said, "Go. I'll see you soon." Stark only nodded. Then he stood up and looked towards Kalona, "If you hurt her you will be sorry," he said.

Kalona responded with, "You are just lucky you have her to protect you. Otherwise I would slaughter you, foolish boy."

Stark scowled at Kalona and left the penthouse.

I looked at him. "Why do you have to be such an evil ass hole?"

"I'm not evil. I just serve Darkness."

"It's the same thing," I said. "Anyway, I suppose I should thank you for not hurting Stark. Actually, no, I don't have to thank you, because if it hadn't been for me you would have killed yet another guy that I love."

"You did love Heath. I recognized that in the Otherworld. Perhaps if you hadn't been Marked you would have had a normal and happy life with him. But the reality is that you are not normal. Even for a vampyre you aren't normal. You very likely could be the reincarnate of the Goddess herself. You don't need Stark as your lover, as your Consort. He may be your Guardian, but you should be with me. It is destiny."

"If you had killed Stark, or if you ever do, I can not possibly be with you. I also won't let you harm him."

"One day you will realize that you do not love Stark the way you are supposed to love a mate, a lover, a Consort, or whatever word you want to use. Then I will be waiting for you and I will accept you as my High Priestess. I will accept your love with open arms."

"Well, if that is ever going to happen, it won't happen for a long time. Even then, I wouldn't hold your breath."

"I have all the time in the world to wait for you, Zoey. But I am an impatient man. So do not take too long to realize the truth."

"Your idea of truth is far different than mine."

"Whatever, my dear Zoey. I know that I am right. Now come here." Kalona took my hand and pulled me over to the couch in the small living room. He sat down and pulled me into his lap. "I have had a wonderful month with you Zoey, despite everything you did to make me angry. I really do want you, and one day we will be together. But until then, we are Imprinted. We can hear each other's thoughts. You won't ever be able to escape me." He paused for a moment. "I have two things for you. The first one is not a threat. It is a promise. If you try and break our Imprint during your time away from me I will be forced to harm Stark. Also, I will now give you the best kiss of your life." He pulled me in close and kissed me on the lips. The kiss was gentle and sweet, but also forceful and passionate. As promised, Kalona delivered yet again. I smiled up at him despite myself. "I know that you will miss this. I can't say that I blame you."

"You are ridiculous," I said, "maybe I will miss it. Maybe I won't."

The doorbell rang again. "I will get it this time," said Kalona. Then he stood up and went over to the door. He opened it, saw who it was and said, "Come, Zoey."

I picked up my suitcase and went over to the door. I smiled when I saw my best friend. It was even food to see Rephaim. I hugged them both and then Rephaim took my suitcase.

Kalona looked at me and then spoke, "Before you go I want one last word with you. Actually, it isn't a word at all." Before I knew it he lifted me up, whirled me around and kissed me deeply. I didn't even pay attention to the fact that my best friend and his son were totally watching us. My arms wrapped around his neck and kissed him back. I knew in my heart that I would miss Kalona's kisses, but I would get over it. I hoped. Before he set me down Kalona whispered something to me. "You wont be away from me for long, my little Zoey." Then he set me down. I shook my head and then I left the penthouse with Stevie Rae and Rephaim after Rephaim had a quick discussion with Kalona. I was slightly curious about what they were discussing, but I didn't ask Rephaim for details.

-/-

Two hours later Stevie Rae and I were sitting together in my room. I had told Stark and the others that I would spend time with them later, but at the moment, I really needed to have a heart to heart with my best friend.

"Kalona and I spent the night together last night." I finished my story as Stevie Rae had demanded, (politely, of course).

"Oh goddess Zoey, he actually made you go through with it."

"Yes," I said, "I tried to get out of it, but he was so sweet and romantic. We ate dinner. He somehow managed to get all of my favorite foods. Then we watched the sunrise and we started making out and one thing let to another. We were in his bed and then I stopped. I didn't want to go through with it. But then of course we fought and long story short, I somehow ended up tasting his blood and then it just happened."

"Oh goddess Zoey," she said, "that's crazy. What was it like?"

"Well Loren Blake was a mistake. We all know that. Stark, well it was so right and it truly was wonderful. But I can't really explain how I felt with Kalona. Despite the fact that he is an ancient evil immortal, I felt so comfortable with him. It truly was one of the best nights of my life, even though I hate to admit it."

"Wow," said Stevie Rae, "The Twins and Aphrodite will die when they hear this. They will want all the details."

"So you think I should tell them about everything? About our Imprint, and the sex and the fact that I'm starting to have feelings for him?"

Stevie Rae nodded. "Zoey, The Twins and Aphrodite love you as much as I do. They deserve to know the truth. I understand why you don't want to tell Stark, and honestly Damien is still in mourning, so he won't be too helpful at this point, but the Twins and Aphrodite should know. We are each other's support group."

"You're right, but I'm glad I told you first. Do you want to go get the Twins and Aphrodite? I think I should tell them now."

Stevie Rae smiled at me and hugged me. "I'll be right back."

A half hour later I had filled everyone in.

"Oh," said Shaunee.

"My," added Erin.

"God," finished Aphrodite. Then, embarrassed, she added, "I just finished the Twins thoughts. That's crazy."

"Shut up," said Shaunee.

"Yeah, you know you love us," added Erin.

Aphrodite smiled at them. They had gotten closer during the remodeling project. By the way, the tunnels and the rooms were all remodeled and they looked wonderful. This place was finally inhabitable. I knew that one day we would be able to start a new House of Night. The twins and Aphrodite were now close friends. As were Aphrodite and Stevie Rae. We were all so close now and I was relieved that I could confide in them.

"Zoey," said Aphrodite, "your man drama is absolutely insane. This is probably some of the craziest shit I've ever heard, But the Twins, Stevie Rae and I will all be here for you. We have three very important things to deal with now. Kalona, Neferet and opening a new House of Night. However, I think we should deal with Kalona and Neferet first. Neferet hasn't tried anything, and I'm pretty sure that she won't anytime soon. I haven't had any visions of doom lately. So I think the coast is clear for at least a little bit."

I hugged each of them. "Thank you guys so much for being here for me. This last month with Kalona has been crazy."

Shaunee smiled at me. "I just can't believe that you have been living with a super sexy guy for the past month, even if he is an evil ass hole."

Erin waggled her eyebrow at me and said, "not to mention, you scored again. I mean, Shaunee Aphrodite and I have been working nonstop on Extreme Makeover: Tunnel Edition, and for all we know Stevie Rae could have been scoring. Little did we know that you were scoring too."

"We only did it once," I said.

"And we haven't done it yet," said Stevie Rae.

"Meanwhile," said Aphrodite, "I have my super hot Warrior and we aren't even Imprinted yet."

We all looked over at Aphrodite with identical and shocked expressions on our faces.

"You mean you haven't," asked Erin.

"Done the deed?" said Shaunee, finishing her Twin's sentence.

Aphrodite laughed. "Not yet. I have been so busy and we have been waiting for the right time. It just hadn't come yet. Besides, its not as if you guys have scored with your new red vamp boy toys."

"They are not boy toys," said Shaunee.

"They have potential to be our new boyfriends."

I vaguely wondered which ones they were talking about. I would find out later. I was just so relieved to know that I had my friends by my side. After thirty days with Kalona I finally felt very safe and happy.

It was a great feeling,


	30. Chapter 30

**A/N: Last Chapter! Thank you to all my wonderful readers and reviewers. There will be a sequel and I plan to start it as soon as possible. But for now read Consumed, the alternate to this story or if you're bored, reread this story! Finally, I would love to hear any final thoughts on this story, so how about pressing that beautiful little review button! Happy Reading! **

** Kalona**

Gone. He sat on the edge of his bed, face in his hands, on the verge of tears. Weak. A woman had left him for someone else. This had never happened to him. He had never expected it to happen to him. He wanted to murder Stark. However, he knew he couldn't. Zoey would never agree to be with him if he did that. Why did he care so much? He didn't know. However, what he did know was that he now new he could never be happy unless he had Zoey by his side. He felt so empty now, without her.

It was the strangest feeling he had ever experienced in his immortal lifetime. It was not the worst, but it was definitely the least familiar, and therefore it was far more difficult to tolerate. Kalona stood up and went downstairs. He entered Zoey's deserted room. The drawers were empty, the closet was empty. She had left the bookshelf full, but he supposed that she couldn't take everything with her. He had given her far too much, but apparently he hadn't given her enough.

Kalona sat down on Zoey's bed. When he closed his eyes he felt as if he could still feel her presence. Kalona felt empty without her here and in his arms. Yes, she had fought against him every day in multiple ways, but usually he had always convinced her to stop fighting against him in one way or another. Kalona smiled for a moment. He thought of her dark onyx eyes, he ebony waterfall of thick, long, hair, her full, red lips, the way she spoke to him when she was please, and even when she was angry. He remembered the way she leaned into him when she was giving in to him and her own desires.

He imagined a future in which they were together, and in love, and happy. It seemed as if it would never happen sometimes, but other times it seemed as if it was possible. While he was unsure of the future, he knew that he would not rest until he and Zoey were together.

As he sat there thinking about Zoey, he started wondering if he could still read her thoughts. Kalona closed his eyes and focused on her thoughts. After a moment he smiled. She had not bothered to close her mind and now he had full access to everything in her mind. He also wondered if he could see into her heart, or even her spirit. As Kalona focused and probed her mind, he discovered something interesting. He remembered the night when Zoey had woken up screaming. He was revisiting that night now, only it was from Zoey's perspective.

He saw three dreams.

The first.

Kalona saw himself, with Zoey in his arms. The two of them were identically marked with ebony tattoos. Darkness, with his shining white coat reared his enormous head.

"Zoey," he heard himself say with a booming voice, "you belong to me. Rejoice, for you and I shall be together for all of eternity with Darkness as our master." His voice boomed with triumph.

He realized that this dream must have been Zoey's worst nightmare. However, he wasn't sure if it was the fact that she was with him, or the fact that she was being forced to server Darkness. He now understood why she had hidden it from him.

The second dream . He had murdered Stark and taken Zoey by force. He knew that Zoey had hidden this from him as to not give him any ideas. Kalona didn't get any ideas from that dream except that now he knew what he couldn't do.

The third dream, Kalona suspected, was the dream that Zoey wanted to hide from him at all costs. It was the most realistic, and it almost seemed like a vision of the future. Once again he and Zoey were identically Marked. Ebony and sapphire swirls and various other intricate patterns covered their bodies. They were bonded together and they seemed happy. Then Kalona noticed Zoey. Her belly swelled. She was pregnant. Kalona suddenly got an impossible sense of family. Then the vision shattered and faded away. Kalona was suddenly filled with hope. Perhaps this was a sign that he and Zoey would be together in the end. Maybe that was why he had seen it at this precise moment.

Kalona was confident once more. They would end up together eventually. Then they would be truly happy. Kalona went over to the bookshelf and removed something. A diary. He had put it in there for Zoey but he hadn't thought that she would use it. Now that she was gone it was time to see if she did use it. He flipped open the book and perused the pages. They were all blank save for one. Zoey had used this gift one single time. Now it was time to read what she had written and what she had tried to keep a secret.

_I couldn't sleep. Kalona is upstairs listening for any sign that I might be awake. He doesn't know that I am writing in this diary. I wasn't going to. I really don't want to risk Kalona discovering what I think about him and what I have been thinking about over our time together. I just had to clear my head and write down everything. I have been doing my best to hide my thoughts ever since Kalona and I Imprinted. Honestly, it scared the hell out of me when I discovered that I could read his mind. I figured that if I could read his mind, then he could read mine._

_This Imprint has the potential to be the worst thing that has ever happened to me, including Steploser marrying my mom, and discovering only a month ago that Neferet had killed my mother. Of course Kalona doesn't know anything about this. He wouldn't care anyway. Despite the way he acts Kalona doesn't really care about the way I feel. He doesn't care that I have cried nearly every night since we have been together. He doesn't care that he makes me feel like shit all the time. I wish that he cared about me, then maybe I wouldn't feel so bad about caring for him. This Imprint must be broken. The thought of Kalona breaking into my mind is terrifying. Also I have been Imprinted before. An Imprint brings two people closer together. I don't want to feel close to Kalona. He is an evil ass hole that I want nothing to do with. But despite what I keep telling myself, there are moments when my heart tells me something else. _

_I have always had feelings for Kalona, ever since Neferet released him from his earthly prison. Every dream that he has visited me in has been wonderful, frightening, terrible, and a mix of many other things. I have felt drawn to him ever since I fist saw him. It scares the hell out of me. I wish that I wasn't the reincarnation of A-ya. Now I feel as if that I am destined to be with Kalona. Perhaps it wouldn't be such a bad thing if he got back on the path of the Goddess. If he wasn't associated with Darkness, I would probably want to be with him. He is wonderful when he wants to be. _

_My dreams a few nights ago really freaked me out. I know that Kalona is capable of killing Stark. He already killed Heath. However I know that I will never turn my back on my Goddess. So the fist dream was nothing more than a nightmare. However, it is the third dream that scares me the most. I am not a Prophetess, so it can't be a vision, can it? I can't imagine myself having a family with Kalona. I can imagine myself being happy with him if he somehow manages to change. If he somehow manages to start believing in Nyx, in love, in Light. However, I don't see that happening for a very long time. This dream really did freak me out though. I really couldn't help it. I mean, he was forcing me to sleep with him. I have to sleep with him tomorrow night. What if I get pregnant? How will I explain tat to everyone. I just hope that it won't happen. He's an immortal, and I'm not. However that didn't stop the gods from swooping down and hooking up with mortals. Oh Goddess, now I am sounding like a Greek myth or something. Anyway, I can't let Kalona discover that I am starting to develop real feelings for him. By real feelings I do not mean the feelings that have always been there as result of the fact that I am the reincarnation of A-ya. No. I am starting to fall for him. However, I can't let this happen. I don't want to get my heart broken, and If I fall in love with Kalona, I know that my heart will be broken._

_I am so glad that I get to leave here soon. However, I know that Kalona will never stop coming after me. If he tries to threaten my friends I will try and find a way to deal with him. But I don't want to destroy him. The thought of doing so is unbearable. Oh Goddess, I hate the way that Kalona makes me feel. Yet, he makes me feel like no guy has ever made me feel before. I lied to Stark when I said that I would never choose Kalona over him. There is a small possibility that it might happen. I truly hope that Kalona never discovers this. I don't think he will. He will probably trash my room after I leave. He's such an ass hole. But I will admit he's a very good kisser. I probably will miss the way he kisses me, especially since we are Imprinted. But I am glad that I get to leave him. I have a feeling that this Imprint is different from other Imprints in many other ways. I don't want to discover them. But I know this much. Kalona and I are connected and we will be connected forever._

_If you are reading this for some reason Kalona, realize this now. I will not be with you unless you give me proof that you are capable of changing. Until you can do that don't bother coming back for me. Goodbye._

Kalona closed the diary. He knew what he had to do. He was connected with Zoey. This connection was proof of destiny. "Zoey," he said aloud, "You and I will be together. I will make you fall in love with me if it is the last thing I ever do."


End file.
